And Beauty Remains
by TenThousandMiles
Summary: Caroline was a US college girl who was fresh off the shore in London, ready to start her adventurous exchange life in her dream city. Klaus happened to be her dreaded, demanding, notorious university art course lecturer who directed his contrariness against this new girl on the first day of the semester… AU. Klaroline. All human. Don't own TVD.
1. Prologue

It was seven in the morning when Caroline woke up to Big Ben's chime in her dorm room.

She smiled to herself. _This is it._ First day of her exchange life in London.

Caroline sat up In her bed, hugging herself with her head on her knees. _It's going to be wonderful, this semester in Britain._ Ever since she heard of this half-year student exchange program provided with full scholarship by her college, she's been working so hard to get herself eligible, even harder than how she fought for the throne of Miss MF.

As an American small town girl, she'd always dreamed of traveling around Europe. The great cities, art, and music… all those genuine beauty, lying across the Atlantic, waiting for her to taste, to feel, to witness, to explore. And among all, Britain had always been the ideal first stop in her blue-printed grand tour plan. What could be more appropriate than choosing the place where modern collides tradition as a starting point? Let alone this is where she wouldn't have to worry about all the language and communicating problems.

And here she was now, after 2 whole years of efforts, she's finally here on her dreamland, her first step to her lifelong vision. The flight delay that caused her to arrive a whole day later than planned thus leaving her no choice but to unpack in just one day before school started had no call to ruin her excellent mood.

After washing herself up, Caroline walked out of her partition only to see her roommate, Elena, was already sitting by the table in their shared living room, having her toast and yoghurt as breakfast. She even got a share ready for Caroline.

"Morning. Come on and grab a bite or you're gonna miss the first session on the first day!" Elena patted on the chair next to her, inviting.

Caroline thanked her for the food and sat down to start chewing.

This British university was kind enough to place each fresh-off-the-shore exchange student with a more experienced one as roommates. Elena Gilbert, also an American exchange student, was on her second semester in this school by now since the program her college provided was for a whole year. Caroline quite envied that, but what could she ask for more when she's got full scholarship already? Besides, she was lucky enough to have Elena around to help her out with all the unpacking and cleaning yesterday. This Gilbert girl was truly one of great heart and enthusiasm.

"What are you doing today? You said you don't have classes on Mondays." Caroline opened up the conversation once she finished her toast.

"I'm planning on meeting my former roommate in the afternoon. She's doing her exchange here as well but she decided to move out to have more space to herself. She's an artist back home and she's been taking lots of at courses here. You know, paints and easels and canvases and abies oil and all. Artists do need room. Her name's Bonnie and she's really a cool girl. You'll gonna like her. We can have lunch together someday and I can introduce y'all."

"Thanks, I'm really looking forward to it." Caroline said smiling, but Elena's words were starting to make her nervous.

"Speaking of art courses…Elena, I'm taking a few of them this semester. Are they really that… nasty?"

"It depends. Bonnie said most lecturers in Art College aren't that demanding, I think she's just pushing herself too much. Why ask?" Elena stood up to clean up the table as they both had finished eating.

"Well, I'm actually not an art student back home and I'm only taking these courses because there were lots of restrictions on the course selection for the exchange program I'm in and this _History of Art and application_ course seemed to be the most interesting one in my limited choice…" Caroline frowned, suddenly feeling like a first-grader anxiously going to school for the first time in forever, "It's not that I've never drawn before. In fact I've earned some art credits back in high school. But I'm definitely no expert in that field."

Elena was now at the sink washing dishes, and Caroline could tell something must be wrong as she stiffened at the course she had just named.

"Which art course did you say you're taking?" Elena turned off the tap and even stopped whatever she was doing with the dishes to ask.

"_History of Art and application_?" Caroline answered hesitantly, "anything wrong with that?"

"People say the lecturer is kind of…" Elena seemed lost in her thought in search of a right description but in vain, "You know what, forget what I said. Forget what people said. Bonnie said the lecturer's courses are always worth taking despite the tiny flaws he has. So let's not put a prejudiced view on you before you experience it. Bonnie told me she's taking that course, too. I'll text her and make sure she helps you through the first sessions. Maybe you can join our afternoon reunion afterwards. Seems like you guys are gonna meet before I even get to introduce my former and current roommates to each other."

_Crap. Crap. Crap. _Caroline sighed.

Elena's trying her best to sound optimistic to cheer her up but ended up making her even worrier. How awful is that lecturer if this warmhearted girl couldn't even bring herself to put his problems in words?

The beam and good mood on her just a few minutes ago were now nowhere to be seen.

Little did Caroline know exactly what _wicked affairs_ she had put herself into.

**AN/**

**Hi there! Thank you all for reading my first ever fanfic in foreign language. Please forgive me if there are any misspells or grammar mistakes or whatever for English is not my mother tongue. But feel free to point them out! I'd appreciate it.**

**I've just started watching this wonderful TV series months ago and I really fell for it. Unfortunately, I have heavy academic loads for college this semester so I've only gone to mid-season5 so far. As a result there might be some settings in future stories that doesn't seem to catch up with whatever's going on with the girl bestie trio in the show. But needless to mention, my heart goes to this cute vamp couple whose male protagonist wasn't even mentioned in this prologue haha. He's gonna show up right in the beginning of the next chapter and I guess you all already know which character he's gonna be.**

**As you can see, the background of this story is set in London for I just came back from my second visit to this wonderful city. I really loved London and since most fanfics are set in the US with Klaus being the British foreigner, I thought it would be fun for Caroline to be the outsider this once. I'm going to write about several real places in London in future stories but this university near Big Ben is definitely fictitious.**

**Well please forgive the long AN for I was so excited to publish my first story on Fanfiction.**

**Please review and tell me your loves and hates in this short prologue. I'm still a green hand in this and it really would help motivate the updates if I know there's someone reading.**

**Thanks again, and until next time ;-D**

**-A**


	2. Chapter 2- Dalí, the tyrant

As if things weren't depressing enough, the fact that _History of Art and Application_ happened to be Caroline's first course on the first day of school is only making it worse.

Not to mention she was too busy worrying to keep track of time or memorize where Elena told her the studio should be.

_This is so stupid. I just got noticed that this lecturer was actually a weirdo and I don't even know how so, and now I'm getting late for the first session! _Caroline thought to herself, crossing the campus greensward hastily.

She didn't forget to take a deep breath before she finally managed to locate the studio, huffing and puffing.

Caroline was relieved to hear Big Ben's chime again when she opened the door. She made it.

Unfortunately, the interrupted expression of the man on the stand said otherwise.

"You're late, Miss." He stated, his voice flat and emotionless but somehow pleasant to hear.

_Wow, this splendid harmony of handsomeness and charming voice would be such a waste if he's really that awful._

"Was, was I?" Caroline bent her head embarrassingly to take a look at her watch, trying to hide the blush on her face, "Sorry, I thought class starts on the hour."

"Well, you should have been 'in time' for class instead of 'on time'. I supposed this was common sense but apparently I was wrong since students of YOUR age seems to violate that unspoken rule quite OFTEN."

_Is he suggesting I'm a three-year-old lacking of nous?_

Caroline's just entered the room for a minute and she's already starting to see why students speak ill of this lecturer. She tried her best not to show her inner debate on how naïve she was to think him cute just seconds ago.

"Besides, every student know they're required to arrive before I do if they're planning on gaining this credit." He put on a hypocritical smile as he handed Caroline a sheet of syllabus.

"And how early is that exactly? 5 minutes before class starts? 10 minutes earlier? " She asked sincerely, eager to know how she should behave to go through the upcoming weeks as smooth as possible.

It wasn't until the silence spread and she spotted the dumbstruck looks on her classmates' that she realized how offensive she sounded. They look like she had brought the black plague back to Europe.

Caroline threw the lecturer a sorry look only to receive a disdainful _why should I tell you_ glare in return.

"You must be Miss Forbes." He checked her name off the name list, "you're lucky enough that I decided we're going to discuss about your midterm projects instead of doing any art works today. I usually don't expect students to come to my lectures forgetting not only their brains but also their color palettes."

Caroline had just managed to sit down and spot that rule number one on the syllabus when he spat the sarcasm:

_Always bring your painting paraphernalia to class. Don't ever be lazy enough to believe not bringing them to the first and the last sessions of the semester will be allowed._

Caroline sneered at it. _Ugh, he has to be this irritating, even on a piece of paper. _How is any new student going to know what should be brought to class on the first day? Caroline could see his reasons but he didn't have to be so harsh and severe.

"So, where were we before Miss Forbes disturbed?" He walked back beside his computer and switched the projected slide, "as you all know, I'm Niklaus Mikaelson, Principal Lecturer of Art College. We won't be elaborating what artists of the past had been doing over the years and their masterpieces in sequence for this semester. What I'm going to do is to show and help you apply the art techniques they'd been using, which is why this course is named as _History of Art and APPLICATION. _And that leaves the 'history' part to you."

Once again, Caroline sighed secretly for the perfect euphony that flowed as he speaks. She would never be able to believe one with that heart-melting appearance and voice could hold such malevolence had she not met this guy in person.

She quietly looked around the studio and found there were actually 10 other students attending this course. She had thought, with all the hearsays and tales about Mr. Mikaelson, there would be less. She also noticed, although unwillingly, that she's the only student without a huge bag or case of painting brushes and charcoal pencils and all.

Mr. Mikaelson's call suddenly knocked her out of her lost thoughts. "Miss Forbes, can you please ensure me you were actually paying attention to what I was saying by repeating it?"

Tittering with slight embarrassment, Caroline replied, "You said we'll have to do a presentation on our favorite historical artist as our midterm personal project, which is going to account for 60% of our final grade. Is that right?"

The cocky Mr. Mikaelson didn't even bother to respond. "I'll give you guys some time to choose a figure. Name me the artist 5 minutes later then you're allowed to leave."

_Wait, we're supposed to submit the personage of our presentation NOW? _

All Caroline knew about art and artists was Pablo Picasso. She didn't even have a pool of name to choose from.

Everyone else had started exchanging ideas and naming people she had never heard of. She searched around the room in hope that she could find her friend-to-be, Bonnie, and ask for her advice but all Caroline knew about her was that she was definitely not this Asian pale beau sitting right beside her.

_I guess I'm on my own for now then._

She unlocked her phone to google whatever she can access. Marc Chagall, Alphonse Mucha, Paul Gauguin… The more she googled, the more certain she is. She was never gonna make this. She was definitely not cut out for this course. Her shortage of artistic knowledge is certainly going to promise her failure in this course.

Caroline was even considering quitting this course when Mr. Mikaelson finally announced time was up.

Her fellow classmates had done proposing one after one and now it's her turn to confess.

"It seems we've only got you left, Miss Forbes." Mr. Mikaelson must have detected her anxiety as he'd put on an annoying smirk, "tell us who you choose. Everyone's waiting for the class to dismiss."

Caroline could tell he added that last sentence on purpose to humiliate her in front the whole class.

_That. Was. Enough._

She had been putting up with his constant calculated insults ever since she stepped in this damned studio just because she didn't know she had to get the hell in this room before he does. She had even felt sorry for being distracted in class minutes ago.

But the former Ms. MF was certainly not the girl to keep enduring some nonsense bully and oppression.

"Excuse me sir," Caroline stood up from the chair, trying to sound polite despite the rage under her skin, "but I think it's a bit flurrying to have us all propose in such short time. You can at least give us a week to do some research at home."

"I asked you to do the project on your FAVORITE artist. You don't have to google online to know which artist you prefer. Well, unless you're a total outsider when it comes to art." Mr. Mikaelson said, eyeing the phone in her hand.

"It's not my fault for knowing not as much about art as you all do!" Caroline burst out. Her classmates are now looking at her as if this daring girl had brought back not only the black plague but also WWII.

He seemed infuriated as well, voice pitching high, "and obviously it's neither my fault to have some amateur dilettante in my lecture where everyone else is capable of doing what they're told."

"Okay, fine. I'll just do as you said. I'll submit my chosen figure now and I'll have you take back your words in near future." Caroline suddenly felt provoked. What was she thinking? Quitting? No, no, no. _Caroline Forbes, you've gone this far to make yourself in London. You're not gonna give up just because some rude bastard was trying to frighten you off._ Yes, she was not the give-up-before-a-fight girl. She was going to do everything she could to finish that presentation and gain this credit and more.

_I will be acknowledged. I will stun you. I will make you regret._

"Oh please do, I'll even allow you more time for preparation to show my gratitude towards your allowing me to finally dismiss everyone on time." he scoffed, "it better not be Pablo Picasso."

No, it wasn't. A renowned yet not as common name had hit on Caroline. She knew introducing this artist should be a tiny piece of cake to art students but she was still going to surprise them with her presentation. She had the faith.

"I'll do Monet." She spat, leaving the studio like a blast.

* * *

><p>"Caroline, Caroline!" Elena had been waiting for the blonde and succeeded in catching her once she stepped out of the building.<p>

"Bonnie just texted me, she was taking a personal leave today and I didn't have the chance to notice you…" Elena felt sorry she had failed to aid her roommate since she knew how helpless it felt to be new to a foreign class with a demanding- and that was euphemistically speaking- lecturer, then she finally spotted the fury on Caroline's exquisite face, "what's wrong?"

"Everything's wrong!" Caroline cried, only to realize venting the anger on this accommodating girl wasn't helping, "never mind, it's not your fault. Thanks for coming anyway."

"You can still tell me what happened in that studio. I hope it has nothing to do with Klaus… but you can save it until later. Bonnie's still meeting us at the gate." Elena frowned, leading her towards the meeting place."

"Klaus who? I thought he said his name was Niklaus Mikaelson."

"Klaus is what we students call him after someone secretly overheard him being called like that by his brother." Bonnie, who had been filled in with all the drama, explained.

Caroline found this Bonnie girl frank and fun, even lovelier than how Elena had described. They soon became friends.

"I still can't believe you actually got the guts to talk back to the tyrant of art. Oh, that's another secret nickname we have for him," Bonnie laughed, eyes shining with excitement, "I wish I were there to witness."

The now much cooled down Caroline exhaled with irony, "thanks a lot, I'd be willing to yield my ticket to that scene. But I can't agree more to the tyrant part. He's got a temper. REAL temper."

"He's got to be a monarch to be a tyrant. And by that I mean he's got skill and talent and he's not that bad of a teacher if you could handle his… disagreeable character. I've progressed a lot since taking his courses." Bonnie stated.

Elena elbowed her friend with a string of giggle, "are you implying you're actually interested in this most dreaded, carping, notorious _tyrant of art_?"

"Oh come on, you know that's not what I meant," Bonnie rolled her eyes, "plus, it's not like you've never thought him hot, right Caroline?"

Caroline only answered the question with an awkward blush, which mad the other two girls burst into immediate laugh.

"I'd nominate our dear dean of academic affairs if we're really talking about the definition of HOT." Elena claimed.

"And who's that?" Caroline inquired as the girls entered an underground station and stopped by a Cornish pasty vendor for some snacks.

"Elijah Mikaelson, one of the elder brothers of Klaus, happened to be the respected dean of our school." Elena informed while looking for her oyster card.

Caroline lifted her eyebrow in astonishment, "so this tyrant's got a whole family working in the university? No wonder he's acting so domineering."

"They're actually the only two living Mikaelsons working there. Their father had retired from the board. But their great great grandfather was said to be one of the founders of the school. The family still wields a lot of influence there. That's why we refer to the Mikaelson family as _the originals_ sometimes." Bonnie said, taking the lead to get on the downward escalator, "you see, a tyrant has his noble family. The Mikaelsons seems to be an old family in British art industry. Klaus's siblings are all part of it as well, well, except Elijah. The oldest brother, Finn, is a well-known curator. That art fair in the V&A museum came out from his hands."

Caroline watched as Bonnie pointed at a poster on the wall. That was an all-the-heat exhibition. Even her, an American who's just arrived in London, had heard of it.

"Kol's Klaus's younger brother, and he's a record producer in great demand. He's helped numerous singers won numerous awards." Bonnie lowered the volume to continue as they hopped on the train, "and that leaves Rebekah Mikaelson, the only sister in the family. She's a rising musical star in the west end."

"Wow. What a family." Caroline praised in awe. That was a complete different world from her small town life.

"Yeah, what a family. Some say that's the main reason why Klaus is being so restless and irascible. They say that Klaus's father always compares him to their ancestors' and his siblings' achievements and no matter how hard Klaus tried, he was never satisfied. You know, the 'father and unworthy son' soap opera cliché." Bonnie shrugged, "but I think the tyrant's got everything. The talent, the shine… he's Dalí to me."

"And who is this Dalí?" Caroline queried as Elena reminded her to alight, "and where are we going exactly?"

"_This station is Tottenham Court Road. Tottenham Court Road… Mind the gap please._"

"Salvador Dalí. The wild king of Spanish art. You really know nothing about art, don't you? " Bonnie asked in a friendly tone.

"Pretty much like that." Caroline admitted, "I'm gonna need your help Bonnie, to pass this crazy course. My faith to fight against Klaus is shrinking now."

"No worries." Elena beamed a glowing smile, "that's why we're here. Bonnie's offering an art shop tour for you and she's gonna tutor you stuff useful in Klaus's courses."

Caroline turned to face the brunette with full appreciation.

Elena cut in before she could put her gratitude in words, "ah ah ah, I'm not done talking yet. Before that art shop shopping cruise, we've got something else on our schedule."

"We're holding a welcome party at our favorite restaurant for you. Just us three. Girls' night." Bonnie announced delightfully.

That was the moment when Caroline felt like she was the luckiest, most loved women in the city. This was her first time to forget all the shit she had with Klaus after that afternoon.

"Awesome!"

* * *

><p>"Nik, why are you wearing that annoying simper? It's freaking me out." Rebekah mocked, twirling her wine with her nail-polished hand.<p>

"As a matter of fact I have to tell you, young sister, you're the only one in this room that would claim Klaus simpering with all the furrows on his forehead." Sitting beside the window, Elijah chuckled with a book in his hand to read to the moonlight.

"Nik's got a feisty one in his new course today." Kol gloated in the shiny leather sofa.

"How come I remember it's your turn tonight to pick Henrik up form Esther's, Kol?" Klaus finally broke his silence, threatening, "I would shut up, stop gossiping around like a stupid schoolgirl and start heading to Mother's if I were you. Otherwise your right to pick up our beloved baby brother would eventually be deprived."

Even Elijah joined the ridiculing, "No wonder. I always knew you were the one to take interest in girls with a fight."

"By whom are you notified of the student as a girl?" Klaus threw against his elder brother the letter opener he'd been playing in his hands, whose blade ended up deep in the wall beside the window as the target dodged, "she's no more than another annoying pretty face. Do not degrade me by associating me with some ignorant dabbler in such way."

"See, I told you so. Nik's in great mood." Rebekah concluded.

**AN/**

**So here you go with the latest chapter! It took me a long, long time to write since I was stuck in the quarrel part. What I was trying to do is to show how Klaus's attitude makes him misunderstood by others. In my opinion, there are always reasons behind his reckless moves, although usually twisted. At least that's what I saw from the show and its sequel. (Oh I love TO!) I wanted to make this scene dramatic yet sparky but it seemed easier to think of than to write. I hope I didn't disappoint you all.**

**Beside the couple's first confrontation, the chapter is more like a bridge chapter with all the information told. I hope you don't find it tedious. I've tried my best to make it interesting. For those who do, I'm really sorry for that and please wait for the next chapter. There'll be more Klaroline on next week's update.**

**Also, since I'm taking a few sport dance lessons recently, I'm planning on writing a one-shot about Klaus tutoring Caroline tango. What do you think? Please tell me by reviewing!**

**Last but not the least, I'd like to thank ****_BlueSkye23, talv1914, Angelikah, chillwithJyl, typedamon_**** and ****_Guest_**** for your kind reviews. You're my first reviewers and for that you meant a lot to me. Some of you asked for the next update to be longer, and since I'm new on this platform, I'm not sure about the average length other writers do… so I can only hope you're satisfied with this one :-) Also, thanks to all the favs and follows. You really made my day and motivated the update!**

**Again, please review and tell me where you like or want me to improve!**

**Until next week, it's TGIF in my country, so have a nice weekend:-D **

**(Oops, long AN again!)**

**-A**


	3. Chapter 3 Temperas, the layers above

That night the girls went for a few shots after the dinner and shopping. They were cautious enough to keep themselves from getting blind-drunk for they still got courses to attend the next morning, but they were almost there when they finally left the bar. That was why they had decided to walk a few blocks in the chill night breeze instead of hopping on a Tube train immediately, hoping to clear their slightly dizzy heads.

Somehow they strolled themselves into a posh residential district, where there's no doubt only the richest ones in the city could afford.

"Someday I'm gonna make myself a fortune and buy one of those," Caroline cackled, pointing at the castle-like buildings.

"Was that before your glorious, epic defeat over Klaus or after?" Elena questioned huskily while giggling. She was obviously the closest to being drunk.

"Of course after." Caroline frowned, "my victory over him was just a matter of time. And by time I meant a really short period."

"And after you rocking Eurasia?" Bonnie added. The girls had shared their hopes and dreams for life during the drink. Bonnie even confessed that she was recently going out with a guy she wouldn't tell the name no matter how hard the other two had tried to extort. _The relationship is taking shape and we're still friends by now_ was her excuse.

Just as Caroline was about to agree with her, a small, warm figure bumped into the back of her legs.

Caroline turned around and leaned down to hold the little boy's shoulder, only to find him huffing and puffing from all the run and tears.

"What's wrong?" Elena looked at the boy with whole curiosity.

Being the most sober one, Caroline managed to ask, "Where's your mommy or daddy?"

That was when the four of them heard a far-off "stop him! Don't let him run again!" cry and the boy started wiggling to escape.

Caroline almost thought she'd lost him but Bonnie caught the boy fortunately.

"Cheers," a tall, slim man with eyes that resembled the boys' finally ran to them, and right after showing his gratitude towards the girls, he squatted to face the now frightened boy in no time, "Henrik, didn't I tell you not to run in the streets? You were lucky to have these lovely ladies capture you. You could have crashed into some full-speeded car!"

"I won't get that chance to hit a car thanks to you, Brother! You were so late to come pick me up. There are barely cars on the road!" The boy ducked behind Caroline for shelter and grab her left wrist to show the watch, "Look how late it is!"

"Henrik!" The guy raised his voice, "let go of the lady and get going or I'll have Nik and Elijah handle you later."

"Elijah?" Bonnie echoed the mentioned name and exchanged a look with Elena while Caroline was too caught up in the quarrel to notice.

Elijah was definitely no common name.

"No! Nik knows how much I hate staying late at mummy's and he'll never punish me for your faults!" The boy named Henrik yelled.

It was the ultimate amount of awkwardness Caroline could handle and since she had no intention on being sandwiched in this family drama for another 20 minutes, she stepped aside and bent down to talk to the brothers.

"Hey, Henrik, is it?" Caroline smiled as the boy nodded with moisture in his eyes, " I don't know what's going on with you and your big brother, but it's so late now. Your parents would've wondered where you've gone."

"I don't have a daddy or mummy at home." Henrik sobbed and peeked at his brother, "but I got Nik and Lijah and Bekah and…Kol."

Though attached to the sentence reluctantly by Henrik, Kol's name as well as the others confirmed Bonnie and Elena's assumptions. They had ran into two of the originals.

Caroline took a peek at the man beside her for approval and kept on pacifying, "Well then Nik and Lijah and Bekah would be the ones worrying at home now. Even your brother Kol here is worried about you. That's why he's angry with you."

"But he threatened to have Nik and Lijah punish me for being late! It wasn't me, it's him…"

Henrik's complaint was cut off by Kol's annoyed explanation, "no, baby brother. I only wanted them to lecture you for running in the streets and for occupying some beautiful strangers' time and…"

Yet again, Kol's words were interrupted, but this time by Caroline's silent pat on his back.

"Then why don't you take Kol home now and have your brothers punish him instead? I believe they can see your reason." Caroline induced, secretly lipping a _sorry_ at Kol.

The boy's eyes lit up to Caroline's suggestions and agreed to return at once.

"You were cool." Kol gave Caroline a brief handshake of appreciation before leaving with Henrik eventually, "guess having a baby brother for the past 5 years doesn't make me more skillful when it comes to children."

* * *

><p>Later that week Caroline was filled in with the fact that the scene she was accidentally dragged in belonged to Klaus's family. She had also taken a few lessons about artistic skills from Bonnie and asked for recommendations for reference books.<p>

Whenever Elena came back from school or the dance club she'd joined, Caroline was either practicing drawing, burying herself in the books she'd borrowed from the library or out for other courses. Caroline had put all her strength in her determination to astonish Klaus. She was even studying harder than she had prepared for SAT. She had made up her mind that she wasn't just going to hand in a perfect midterm project. She was also going to perform outstandingly in class. She was going to win it all.

However, it was soon for Caroline to admit Rome couldn't be built in one day. She could cram all the knowledge she had read from the books, but creating art was just something that required more than texts on books. It required skill, experience and talent.

Sitting in front of another piece ruined by herself, she sighed. She was nobody to judge if she had talent on art or not, but her lack of skill and experience was a solid truth. She had been practicing the techniques Bonnie taught her over and over but something was just wrong. She blamed it on her short art vita.

"Care?" Elena poked her head out of her room and spotted her roommate in their shared living room, "why are you still sitting in front of that stupid easel when you've been working with it all week? It's Sunday night!"

"Well, I guess I have nothing else to do, so I seized my time. Practice makes perfect, after all." Caroline shrugged, trying to act normal.

"But you've just arrived in London! Don't you wanna go city touring? Or maybe just hop on some double-deck bus?" Elena stepped out of her room with her hands on her waist, "Come on, exchange student, you can study back home. You're in one of the most amazing cities in the world! I thought you're here to explore, not to lock yourself up like a geeky nerd."

Elena was right. Caroline had a long to-do list made before she left the states. There were so many places in London she'd like to visit, so many things waiting for her to do. She was just too frustrated by how slowly she was progressing to go out for fun.

"I'm okay, really. Klaus's course is on Monday and he's teaching tempera tomorrow. That was something Bonnie didn't know how to teach me so I've only got hours before class to figure it out on my own…"

Elena posed her palm out and stopped the blonde, "ah ah, talk to my hand if you're giving me another lame excuse. Bonnie and I are going to a pub party tonight. Come with us. Go have some dances and shots. Maybe flirt a hot Brit or two. Just…just allow yourself some fun, Care."

Caroline was slightly moved by Elena's suggestion. She tried running her hands through her hair while considering but ended up coloring her forehead with the paint stains on her fingers. That reminded her for just how clumsy she still was in the world of art.

"Thanks for inviting, Elena. But I won't get any chance near any hotties with these on my face. Just go with Bonnie and tell her to save me a night to buy her a drink as a thankyou." Caroline stood up and headed to the shower room, "plus, I haven't have time to skype with my mom and friends since arriving. I'll check if they're online later."

Elena sighed and walked back to her room for some final make-up touches, "if you insist. Just promise me you won't root yourself in front of that easel, okay? At least chat with your friends."

"Sure." Carline promised.

Caroline only succeeded in accessing her mom later that night, since it was early in the morning in the US and most of her friends in MF were in sound sleep except for the Sherriff. Liz was on shift and managed to have her colleagues cover her for a small chit-chat with the daughter.

Caroline only left her best friend, Stefan a private message on Facebook to report safe before she went to bed.

She had a battle to fight the next day. It had to be an early night.

* * *

><p>Caroline made it to the studio 30 minutes earlier. She was the first to arrive.<p>

So she picked herself a seat, one with the best view of whatever Klaus will be teaching later, and grabbed a provided easel over. Half an hour was enough for some practice.

Her classmates came in one after another, and last came Bonnie, who gave Caroline a wink as she helped her put the easel and canvas away.

Then in walked Klaus, just a minute before the bell rang.

He set up his laptop and the projector, and took a dozen of eggs out of his bag.

"As you all know, from the syllabus," Klaus announced, clicking to show the slide, "We're doing egg tempera today."

"Can anyone tell us what that is?" he asked, showing slides of tempera masterpieces on the screen.

Bonnie raised her hand and answered, "Tempera is a permanent, fast-drying painting method, using colored pigment mixed with a water-soluble binder medium…usually a glutinous material such as egg yolk as its medium."

"Well done, Miss Bennett." Klaus nodded and kept on explaining.

That was a question she had read about a few days ago. She could answer that. Caroline smiled at Bonnie. Her friend had truly devoted herself to art. She wasn't trying to compete with Bonnie, but she regretted losing every single chance to knock the "you won't be able to humiliate me if I try hard enough" truth in Klaus's head.

"Fetch me an easel and a canvas, will you?" Klaus had finished his introduction and asked a red-headed boy to help him set up as he stirred a yolk he'd just beaten into the paint. He then sat himself down at the center of the studio, and started demonstrating the techniques of tempera.

Caroline hesitated a second about whether she should stand up and surround Klaus like what everyone else was doing. The scene of Klaus being in the center of a crowd just somehow seemed weird. Klaus sure was self-centered and he was, in some aspect, the tyrant, the king among his people, but he seemed more of a lone wolf to Caroline.

The thought only hanged her back for a while. Caroline squeezed herself into the circle around the tyrant anyway.

"The medium used in tempera dries almost immediately and crackles when it is." Klaus said, soaking his painting brush into the Prussian blue on his palette, "so what we usually do when painting a tempera is to smear thin layers one above another. What's the name of the touches we use when daubing? Anyone?"

"Cross-hatching." Caroline murmured, standing right behind Klaus.

Klaus turned around to face her with amuse and surprise written on his charming face.

"Seems someone's been studying at home." He concluded and resumed demonstrating.

Just as Caroline was about to taste the sweetness of victory on her lips, the annoying lecturer added, "ten points for Gryffindor."

The rest of the class burst out laughing, leaving the shamed Caroline, who suddenly was able to understand how Harry Potter feels when scolded by professor Snape, blushing from head to toe.

_How was he capable of doing that?_ Admiring the exquisite touches, the enchanting shades and the impeccable composition on this tempera piece Klaus had almost finished, Caroline thought to herself. _How could he humiliate me and create such pure, graceful beauty at the same time?_ She had heard of how talented the tyrant of art was, always from his biggest fan, Bonnie, but this was the first time for Caroline to witness his genius by herself.

There wasn't only beauty in his drawings. There was a flow, a sense of insecurity, yet somehow packed with extreme strength, power and loneliness… There was something profound, something deep in his creations that she was sure no one else had ever detected. Otherwise, he wouldn't had ended up just a lecturer now. He would have become an international master if only anyone else could feel the curing tenderness in his works like she did.

There was soul.

And she was able to understand. What's more, she felt understood, by this man, through his tempera. She didn't know how to put this feeling in words and the only thing she knew at that moment was how hard she wanted him to acknowledge her, how much she wanted this loathsome yet gifted artist to see the efforts she'd made. What mattered was no longer winning over him. It was proving herself to him that counted.

So when Klaus sent them off to their seats to create their own piece using tempera techniques, she spared herself no time to waste and started composing directly.

An hour later, Klaus began walking around the studio, viewing his students' works. The fact that he was going to see her work spiked Caroline's heart with a mixture of anxiety and excitement. She wanted him to see the ground she'd gained yet she was sure the comment that was going to come out from him was nothing likely to be pleasant to hear.

Finally he paced behind her.

She stiffened as she sensed him opening his mouth.

"What exactly do you think you're doing, Forbes?" Klaus remarked, "didn't I ask you all to create a piece of your own?"

Caroline laid down her painting brush and replied firmly despite her inner turmoil, "and that's what I'm doing now, obviously."

"No. This has nothing to do with creating, Miss Forbes." He sneered, shaking his head as if disbelieving, "this is mimicking."

It was Caroline's turn to fall in utter disbelief. She was the creator of her drawings. That made her know everything more than anyone else on earth of this piece. If she didn't think she was mimicking while composing it, how could he do so?

"May I beg your pardon?" Caroline muttered.

Klaus sighed, not of scorn but of not knowing how to explain. "Just stop on this piece. Note that _art is about creating rather than gaining others' acknowledgement_. Think about it. You can hand in another piece by next Monday."

Then he LEFT. He went off to check someone else's work, leaving Caroline there, defeated.

Bonnie, who saw the despair in Caroline's eyes, walked over quietly and patted on her back to cheer her up.

"Maybe I can help you later in the dorm…" Bonnie was whispering to her when Klaus interrupted from the other side of the room.

"Miss Bennett, I strongly suggest that you leave Miss Forbes alone."

Bonnie raised her head to retort but Caroline was a step ahead, "she was just trying to help."

"The last thing you need now is help from others!" Klaus raised his voice as if infuriated by her respond, "have you not understand?"

He walked across the studio to get the canvas Caroline practiced on before class and strode wide steps towards her until he reached the piece in front of her.

"This," he then grabbed both works in his hands, the under-process one staining fresh, roaring red paint on his masculine fingers, "and this…these are all touches of Miss Benett and mine."

_So he knew I was practicing before class. Then how could he still say that?_

"No, I drew them!" Caroline answered back. She was surprised she couldn't feel a single teardrop on her cheek. After every hard work she'd gone through, all still seemed worthless to him, to this genius. _Why am I not crying? I should be_.

Yet she wasn't.

Something there in her helped hold back her tears, her softness.

"You did drew them, indeed," Klaus looked, for the first time in forever, straight into her sky blue eyes, "but it wasn't you drawing. It wasn't your drawing. You were drawing under someone else's influence. These strokes, the colors you chose, the composition… You draw like Miss Bennett, and even me. You draw like the ones you learn from."

Perceiving his voice, which was originally fierce and harsh, softening gradually, Caroline sat back down and looked at her works.

Klaus sent her back with her canvases and his last words to her that day, "keep what I told you in mind. Art is about yourself. Turn in something new next time."

* * *

><p>"What hurts me the worst was that he was right." Caroline sniffed to the laptop screen, "the notorious bad ass that I hate and wanted to conquer so much was right. And I even feel appreciation of his being right, his correction on me when I was supposed to protest against it."<p>

"Care…" the one skyping with her frowned to the tears she finally allowed herself to release.

"He sees through me, Stef." Caroline rubbed her nose with a fresh draw of tissue, feeling safe enough to be fragile in the presence of her best friend since high school, "but I still dislike him. Don't get me wrong."

Stefan felt relieved hearing a half-joke from his friend. She must had regained some energy during crying.

That was when Elena came back to their dorm room with Bonnie. They both had bags and boxes of food in their hands and was going to speak to her once they opened the door.

"Sorry, skyping." Caroline smiled to them on the living room couch, "I'll be done in a minute!"

"Care, let's change the topic and see if this helps with your mood." Stefan proposed.

Caroline raised her eyebrows. She wondered if anything besides a giant cup of hot chocolate could do her any good right then, but still tried to sound interested for her friend, "and what would that be?"

Elena passed by Caroline and gave her a poke to show her they'd be waiting for her to join the dinner prepared at the table.

"I'm visiting London during Christmas time." Stefan announced.

Caroline was distracted nodding to Elena when Stefan told her the news, so it took her a few seconds to digest what he had just told her.

When she finally did, she jerked her head back at the screen and literally screamed with joy, "you're coming to visit me?"

"Well, technically, I am."

Stefan chuckled at how she always welcomed him with all she could and how she lighted up with even the tiniest surprise he was offering.

"How about Damon? Is he coming?" Caroline was still in shock of Stefan, one more like a family than a normal friend to her, coming abroad for her this Christmas. They had shared similar pain for one of them was orphaned at a very young age and the other had hardly enjoyed any parental love during childhood. He had helped her through the roughest part of her rebellious phase in high school and even lightened the insecurity she'd been suffering from her parents' divorce and her mother's constant absence.

And now, he was offering her the warmth of family once again.

"He didn't want to get in the holiday flight jam but I'll persuade him to come with me eventually." Stefan shrugged to his brother's stubbornness, "no one should be alone at Christmas after all, and that includes you, young lady."

"I'm far from alone here. I've made some new friends." Caroline giggled, concluding the conversation, "I'll introduce them to you when you arrive. Make sure to tell me the time of your arrival when you're done with Damon and the tickets."

Elena walked over and hand Caroline a steaming hot raisin scone, "have it and come over to dig in some pasta, you must be starving."

Caroline sank her teeth into the warm pastry with a heart full of gratitude and love. Bonnie must had told her about what had happened in Klaus's course. That was why they were having dinner here.

_I can get through anything with Stefan, Bonnie, Elena and all these lovely people by my side._

"Hey, I'm just asking…" Elena peeked at the now blacked laptop screen, "who was the guy chatting with you? He's quite cute."

There was first a few seconds of silence before a string of embarrassed cough came from the computer.

"Elena, I haven't turned the mic and skype off yet." Caroline confessed as she held back the laugh.

"Um, Elena isn't it?" Stefan said awkwardly, "thanks for your compliment."

**AN/**

**Wow that was a long Chapter! Hope you all enjoyed it.**

**First and foremost, I'd like to express my gratitude to dearest ****_talv1914, Libra86, maryrose16, tippy093, April420, Angelikah, chillwithJyl, nafertidi, angelskull16, goldenhummingbird, lou, Ellavm18 and Guests_**** for all the kind reviews. I'd like to read your Klaroline fanfics and review as well and I've been doing it but it's going to take some time.**

**Some of you asked how come Caroline isn't punished for talking back to her lecturer. I don't know what it's like in Britain but if anyone in my school/country does the same thing he/she is definitely doomed. (Well maybe not that serious since we're freer in college.) But there's a reason behind this and if things go on as planned, I'll be able to reveal it in the next chapter. Some of you also asked for other TVD characters to appear in this story. So here you go with Stef! This was part of the planned plot that was going to be unfolded way later, but since someone asked for it and I'm mainly writing to provide everyone some fun, I was more than glad to change the sequence of my plot. Do feel free to tell me how you want the story to develop. Although I can't promise to take every piece of advice but as long as it doesn't change the whole plot too much, I'm willing to satisfy as many of you as possible. Still another request was to know more about Henrik's situation. Again, he wasn't supposed to show up so soon but that was just a request I couldn't resist. As you all can see, Henrik isn't dead in this story and he's going to play an important role in the relationship between the couple. Also, since the Mikaelsons are all human and have nothing to do with supernatural beings now, I believe it's more appropriate for Klaus to be less paranoid. (And by LESS I mean he's STILL a paranoid! He's still got crazy parents to deal with.)**

**Finally, I'll have to apologize if there were any misuse, misspell or grammar mistake in this chapter for I caught a cold recently and final exam is coming up. I'm not in my best situation and I was soooooo dizzy when writing. That was why it took me longer to update this time.**

**I would love to tell more about my thoughts behind this chapter but the AN is getting lengthy so let's put an end to it.**

**It seems like long ANs have become some sort of label of mine, haha.**

**Please review to motivate updates!**

**Until next week!**

**PS. I cried to the story when I read it 5 mins ago so I had to add this: #illridewithyou**

**Go Australia!**

**-A**


	4. Chapter 4 Ink Paintings,the two-men show

**TO characters ALERT!**

**I know some of you are not as interested in the sequel as I am. Just note that the characters that appeared in this and future chapters are only there because their names are needed. No TO plot included, no crossovers. They're just names!**

**Oh and make sure to read through the AN at the bottom for there will be important information and questions that decide how this fic ends.**

**Happy reading then!**

"So… you okay?" Elena asked as Caroline sat at the table.

Caroline thought for a while, and finally sighed. "I feel fine now." She helped herself with the pasta and poured herself some lemonade, "after talking to Stefan…let's just say everything is better now."

"You sure, Care?" Bonnie laid down her fork and stared at the blonde, concerned. "You don't look FINE at the studio."

"Bonnie told me everything. Klaus was way too harsh." Elena patted Caroline's shoulder.

"Actually, I can see his reasons after calming down." She took a sip from her glass and continued, "I still don't understand what he's looking for, you know, the '_Art is about yourself_' part. But he's really got skills, even I can tell it. I guess he has the qualification to be picky when it comes to drawing."

"So now you're with me, huh? I told you so." Bonnie, Klaus' lifelong fan, smiled, "not that he was right to scold or humiliate you in classes. It's just…I think he actually likes you."

"What?" Caroline and Elena let out a huge disbelief simultaneously.

Bonnie rolled her eyes and said, "aw, come on. Klaus was nicknamed the TYRANT for a reason. No one'd ever talked back to him publically before you did, daredevil. No one dared. Or maybe the ones who was brave enough simply got kicked out of the course and was smart enough to shut up afterwards. Klaus's got a temper, guys. And all you've got so long was only abusive language. He could have done worse to you, Care. But he didn't."

Elena threw her hands in the air, "well, that doesn't prove anything. Maybe he was just too bored and wanted someone to toy with for the rest of the semester."

Bonnie gave her former roommate a _you're-not-making-things-any-better_ glare, "and he's never taught anyone in such a detailed way."

"I'd prefer to believe he was simply too mad at my clumsiness. He needed to fix the dumb." Caroline shrugged as if she couldn't care less, yet something deep down in her was already stirring.

"Caroline, he might be furious while guiding you but that's how he does things, always the thunder and rain. Don't dwell on his emotion. Dwell on the fact that he's mentoring you, a semi-art-novice who he wouldn't even care a bit normally, in a way he's never done with others, not me, no other students before. I guess he sees talent, or whatever he's interested in, in you." Bonnie's hand crossed the round table and reached Caroline's for a slight squeeze, "I'd feel lucky if I were you. Frankly speaking, I envy you for having his direction. It's priceless."

Caroline was shocked. She couldn't bring herself to words for the bombshell Bonnie just dropped on her.

The man who had done nothing else than scolding her actually evaluates her positively?

_Hell no, no. This can't be._ Caroline thought to herself. What would the almighty tyrant be if what Bonnie said was true? A 15-year-old boy? Only teenage schoolboys act the opposite of what they actually mean.

_The genius just couldn't stand a tactless in his classroom. That's all, nothing more._

Caroline tried to conclude her inner debate but in vain.

_But… what if that was true? Does that mean Klaus had already acknowledged me secretly?_

"Okay, you guys are now talking about something I don't understand. We've got a non-artist here okay?" Elena mocked as she finished the last bite of her lasagna, "I heard they're promoting Klaus next year. Like he wasn't successful enough to be a principal lecturer at such a young age already."

"That was before dark horse Marcel stepped in his way." Bonnie informed.

"And who's this Marcel?" Caroline inquired, feeling like an innocent outsider again. It's out of question that 2 weeks was not enough for an exchange student to know everything about the new school.

"Marcel was kind of the one and only apprentice to Klaus years ago. He learned everything he knew about art from him and somehow got a vacancy at the Art College." Bonnie related what she heard from some gossiping guy, "as we all know, Klaus wasn't the easy-going, friendly kind of person, and that happened to be what Marcel was best at. He made lots of BIG friends during his apprenticeship and the sinews helped with his meteoric rise among his colleagues. He was promoted to the same place as Klaus in mere 3 years. Even Klaus spent 5 years to become a principal lecturer. And Marcel is now contending for next year's solely released associate professor position against his former master. People say they're each other's worst enemy."

"Wow. That was…Klaus must feel hurt. I mean for someone who don't seem to accept apprentices easily, that was almost betrayal." Elena stated, "but his temper is absolutely one to blame."

Caroline thought about what she felt when viewing Klaus' creation that afternoon while her friends debated on whether the tyrant's temper was a problem. She was sure Klaus' work was the best, most profound one she'd ever seen. Even though she was no fan of his, she bet his promotion to the associate professor position was just a matter of time. Bonnie once mentioned his tension with his father. Could this relate to the variance between them?

_Stop thinking about what's none of your business, Caroline Forbes. You've got emergencies to worry about._

As if able to read Caroline's thoughts, Bonnie steered the conversation to a new topic in an awkward way. It was almost like Bonnie felt uncomfortable keeping on talking about Klaus and Marcel.

At the end of the dinner, Bonnie offered to help Caroline with the piece she was supposed to hand in once again but was thankfully refused.

"Although I still really don't get what Klaus want from me, I think he was right. I have to stop relying on you, Bon. Kids gotta grow up eventually."

Bonnie nodded while she helped put away the dishes, "you're right. You got any INNOVATIVE idea yet? Klaus can't be easily satisfied."

Just as Caroline was about to give a negative answer, Elena suggested, "if I were you, Care, I'd simply try something no one else can draw. That way Klaus won't be able to claim you mimicking."

It took Caroline a few seconds to take in the hint but when she did, the first thing she did was to run over the living room and give her roommate a big hug.

"Elena Gilbert, you're such a genius!" Caroline was so excited about finding what to draw in such a short period that she even gave the brunette a peck on the cheek.

There surely was something only the girl who'd wanted to wander around the world ever since she was born could draw.

* * *

><p>Caroline had been drawing almost 20 hours a day after she decided what to do. Piece after piece she drew and every time she finished a work she picked a flaw out of it and started all over again.<p>

Time flies unfortunately faster when you absorb yourself in serious issues and soon Caroline met yet another dawn, the dawn of the day when Klaus' course would take place.

She was surprised to find Klaus 15 minutes early in the studio and she seized the chance to turn in her work before any of her classmates could enter. The last thing she wanted was another public humiliation.

Klaus looked at her piece with his brows crumpled together for a very long time. There were times when he brought his masculine fingers to his chin and Caroline's eyes couldn't help but follow their track through his stubble. There were times he ran those same fingers through his sand blond hair and Caroline chided herself quietly when she found herself biting her lower lips seeing that scene.

_What the hell are you doing, Caroline?_

_Mouthwatering over the demanding lecturer is the last thing you should be doing now! He's the loathsome genius and you're the cumbersome dumb he's trying to fix!_

Whatever he did while examining her colorful tempera, he remained silent. That made her even more anxious. She had expected sharp criticism and even a one-second return, but this was nothing she imagined. This, Klaus viewing her piece in such a concentrated way.

"Well… how is it?" unable to stand the stabbing silence anymore, Caroline plucked up the courage to ask.

And there was no response.

In order to keep herself from the awkwardness, all Caroline could come up with was keep the one-man show going, "this was the view from the top spot of London Eye, you know, overlooking London like a soaring _free_ bird… All the neon, the lights, sceneries, buildings and _colors_ and all. Oh, and this is definitely an innovat-, original work since my dream was to travel around the world and London was my favorite city and I know the topic I chose can be lame but believe me no one else sees the same London like I did and-"

Klaus cut her nervous ramble off with a high-held hand and finally broke his silence, "that would be obvious."

Caroline was stunned by his enchanting smirk for a second or two and barely recovered when she mumbled, "was that an OKAY?"

"Yes, piece accepted." Klaus tore his eyes from the canvas and looked straight into her angelic eyes, "however, you did inspired me to make a slight change to the syllabus."

"We're doing something different next week, class. Make sure you bring only necessities. We're practicing outdoors next time." Klaus announced to the now almost complete class.

He then turned to face a boy who'd just entered the room, "come with me and help fetch the stuff needed today."

Caroline was muddled by both her easy pass and Klaus' attitude at the moment and was going to find herself a seat when the lecturer, who had already strolled to the door, turned to announce, "you're only passing on that one. That doesn't mean _problem solved_. Think about what I told you last Monday, Miss Forbes."

* * *

><p>Things seemed to go on smoothly after Klaus' acceptance of Caroline's tempera.<p>

It's not that her artistic skill had suddenly progressed enough to satisfy the picky lecturer. It's that he had simply stopped all the scoffing and taunting. In fact, silent frowns took over his handsome face whenever he examines her work. There were times when Klaus opened his mouth but ended up gulping down what he was going to say and gave her the same words instead.

_"__Art is about yourself, Miss Forbes."_

_"__Art is about creating rather than gaining others' acknowledgement."_

And the words did get across to Caroline, or rather, did get across to her i_n her opinion_. She'd spent another sleepless week practicing desperately, wondering what Klaus meant.

Now that Klaus had accepted her tempera, she must had surmounted the "mimicking problem", according to Klaus' claims. If so, how come he still kept telling her what art was about?

Hadn't she been practicing and progressing?

Was that not enough?

How could there still be anything to be fixed?

Could there be more troubles awaiting her in the field of art?

Or should she ask, could art be more than what she'd been taking?

Bearing those unsolved questions and a sore wrist, Caroline entered the studio.

There were a few students in the room already, all busy taking orders and packing paraphernalia in boxes as Klaus conducted.

"Stop standing there with wide eyes, Forbes. Make yourself useful." Klaus issued and pointed at two huge baskets of empty bottles, "why don't you help fill these water bottles? We'll be painting outdoors later today."

Caroline nodded and paced to the baskets, arguing whether she should fill two to three bottles a time or finish the task in one walk to the tap at the end of the hallway.

Laziness won eventually and Caroline made it back on time with heavy loadings on both her hands, ignoring the now screaming pain on her right wrist.

Knowing Caroline was running errand for the class, Klaus was patient enough to wait until she got herself seated to start his lecture, "as I told you last week, we're doing a random course today."

He clicked and showed the next slide, an exotic black-and-white painting.

"Anyone knows where this is from?" Klaus asked, cocking a brow.

Bonnie, who arrived way later than Caroline did and was now sitting in the back of the room, responded hesitantly, "China, is it? That's a piece of Chinese ink painting."

_Wow this girl does know a lot about art._ Caroline thought to herself as she shot her friend a smile. That was something she definitely didn't know.

"Very well." Klaus cleared his throat as he showed the class more masterpieces and got his students fascinated with the novel drawings, "I've been doing all the European-centered historical techniques with you for semesters. A change of taste might be an inspiration. Now let's see how the easterns do their art."

After a whole hour of explanation and discussion (which Caroline was surprised to find allowed in the tyrant's classroom), Klaus concluded the first session by asking, "so beside the media used to compose, what is the most significant difference between eastern and western art, anyone?"

This time, Caroline shot her hand up high immediately when no one else was concentrated enough to answer.

"The biggest different lies in the usage of colors and the compositions. Western artists tend to fill the picture with as many colors as possible, while there were few colors and lots of blanks left in Chinese ink paintings." Caroline narrated confidentially.

Klaus' grey-blue eyes found hers as he listened to her analysis. He gave a slight nod when she finished, and fired her another question as an interested smile found its way to his lips, "and why is that, in your perspective?"

The random question caught Caroline. She thought for a while and Klaus didn't seem to mind her taking her time.

"I guess," Caroline replied sheepishly, "that colorful isn't always the best? Maybe blanks leaves the viewers more to imagine?"

Klaus' dimpled smirk danced wilder listening to Caroline's opinion and he gave neither approvals nor disapprovals to what she said. All she received was a simple sentence, "remember what you said".

Klaus then hurried the class out to the woods in the east of the campus. He hadn't miss the wince on the specific blonde's exquisite face before Bonnie offered to help her with one of the bottle baskets.

* * *

><p>"We'll be sketching and painting here for the rest of the hours. Make good use of what you brought." Klaus announced as the students scattered among the trees with the paraphernalia brought from the studio and walked off to a free corner to paint himself.<p>

"What are you drawing?" Caroline leaned to Bonnie.

Bonnie shrugged as she tossed her head up high to inhale the fresh, muddy nature scent, "no idea yet. Obviously trees, though. I just don't know how to start yet."

"Yeah." Caroline agreed as she looked at her paints, "I wonder what those Chinese paintings he'd just taught us has to do with this multicolored pre-October autumn woods. I mean, look at it, all the maroon, firebrick, dark brown, golden, khaki and sienna…so vigor-overflowing, so kaleidoscopic, so different from the color-limited eastern style."

Caroline would like to discuss more but they both agreed if they didn't start drawing, they wouldn't be able to hand in the work on time.

So Caroline buried herself in the splendid world of nature and her hands just started moving automatically.

By the end of the session, Klaus strolled around to give final advices and the familiar disapproving look appeared when he finally stepped behind Caroline.

Ignorant of Klaus' expression, Caroline was so pleased with the dazzlingly colorful piece she'd just finished that she turned to face Klaus with a beam on her face and glistening glow in her sky blue eyes that she didn't even know she was wearing.

That made Klaus swallow the scold he was ready to burst.

"What are you up to, again?" Klaus queried firmly.

"Woods." The delight on Caroline's face faded now that she had sensed something wrong in the air, "any…problem?"

The hidden rage in his voice deepened, "I'd like ask you the same question, Miss Forbes. Have you not heard what I told you 2 week before? Have you forgotten what you said, just an hour ago?"

Caroline was suddenly fogged.

_This guy is absolutely unreasonable._

First, he humiliate her time after time publically. Then, he wanted her to quit a mimicking habit she didn't even admit existed. And now, when she was beginning to believe the tension between them had somehow eased to some extent, he confused her with ambiguous riddles and expected her to figure them out on her own.

"What was the problem? Just tell me directly!" Caroline whispered harshly, not wanting to make a scene. She'd already had enough attention among her classmates in the past few weeks.

"YOU are the problem!" Klaus spat, grabbing her wrist so hard that it squeezed a painful gasp out of her clenched teeth.

Once recovered from the acute pain, Caroline pulled her hand out of Klaus' grasp, piercing stares into his astonished eyes, "it hurts!"

It was then that the reason for her wince he had caught dawned on him and again he clutched the reddened, swelling right wrist from her rubbing left hand.

"Let go!" Caroline tried to escape but this time Klaus was well prepared and remained solid while she plucked.

Klaus' glare towards her made her shrink and fell silent in an instant.

"It's tendinis." Klaus diagnosed, checking the lump on her hand.

"It's what? What's tendi-" Caroline's sentence was interrupted by another scowl he casted her and her left hand was suddenly taken and dragged as her right arm was freed.

She stumbled as Klaus hauled her forward without a single word.

"Where are we goin-, no, what are you doing?" Caroline couldn't control her volume anymore.

Instead of answering Caroline directly, Klaus turned to the students and announced, "you're free to go once you finish your works today. Hand them in next Monday."

He strode a few steps before he took a brief stop and had his blonde student crashed into his solid back, "Miss Bennett, you'll take care of your friend's stuff, won't you?"

He didn't wait for Bonnie's dumbfounded nod to continue walking.

Instead, he marched towards his personal office with the overwhelmed Caroline's hand seized tightly in his.

**AN/**

**Sorry for the delay! I know it's been longer than I promised and I should be updating last week. I was just too sick to get any reasoned writings done and viewing ch3 (also written when I was under the weather) I felt so embarrassed to have you read through all those obvious misuses and grammar mistakes. So I decided to wait until my brain starts functioning but apparently it wasn't going to, in near future (still so sick *cough*). So I just had to let it go and get writing before your patience with me runs out. So here you go with the New Year greeting chapter, I hope you like it and are able to endure with my poor writings.**

****Here comes a very important question I'll have to ask my readers to answer. This has a VERY big thing to do with how the couple ends up so please do tell me by reviewing. How is it like to have a teacher-student romance in universities in English speaking or European countries? Are these relationship blessed? Or are they illegal? I just found that people's attitude toward talking-back in classes can differ a lot by country, so I was wondering if the couple's going to face any trouble when they…yeah.**

**This is an informative chapter and believe me, I tried my best to bring up as much Klaroline as possible but it's still so boring… please just stick with my slow pace a little longer and I promise fluffs are gradually taking place.**

**Oh and the Chinese ink painting stuff just hit on me a few days ago since I've been taking a few different foreign language lessons. I was looking for a different art form for Klaus to show Caroline and what from an ancient civilization seemed to suite the original hybrid, so…**

**Last but not the least, big hugs to those who made my days by giving me the generous reviews: lele91, klaroline4everlove, mo, Guests, tippy093, goldenhummingbird, SEKCENDGAME, redbudrose, Ashilz, majahoi, Angelikah, talv1914, iceSTEP and chillwithJyl.**

**Believe it or not, every review motivated me to keep on typing under such poor condition. No words can express my gratitude.**

**So, until next chapter! Happy New Year!**

**Preview: More Klaroline and more of the little Mikaelson cutie next chapter! (As many of you requested.)**


	5. Chapter 5 Wicked, the knight in armor

Klaus let go of Caroline's hand and went looking for his first aid kit once he slammed the door of his office.

"Come over." He commanded as he took out a pain relief patch.

Caroline frowned and hesitated. She was confused.

_What is this all about?_

_He just yelled at me publically (again) and now he's gonna nurse me?_

_Is this April Fool's Day or am I on some cheesy reality show? Where's the camera?_

Holding out his hand, Klaus gave her a scowl, "Come. Over. And. Give. Me. Your. Hand. Don't make me repeat that again."

"Fine." Caroline did as he said reluctantly and suddenly found a pair of warm palms covering, rubbing, massaging her silently aching right wrist.

She turned her head and saw the concentrated look on his face.

The sun shot through the window beside him. The beam glittered on his sand blond curls. The fine hair on his face seemed to flicker every time his body take those tiny breathing moves. The colorful leaves outside danced to the twirling winds at a rhythm resonating the healing hands' massaging frequency.

Caroline couldn't help but held back each breath before she made sure it was okay to exhale, somehow too caught up by her own urge for wanting to feel the tickle of his stubble.

Despite all those stun happening around him, the most beautiful- yes, beautiful, which was the only word Caroline found accurate enough to describe how she felt by then- was the pure focus in his eyes.

How, how was he able to remain so still and focused when all those beauty was taking place around him, when _HE WAS_ one of those beauty?

"You shouldn't have carried all those water." His voice brought Caroline back from her fantasy to reality and made her roll her eyes, "I thought you're the one who ASKED me to do so."

"Well you could've told me you're suffering for tendinis." Klaus glared and purposely applied more medical spray on her aching point, causing another gasp.

"Like you would ask someone else do it if you knew my hand was hurting?" Caroline sneered, still under the effect of the chilling spray.

When she said so, she was expecting another verbal battle and had been preparing herself for a new round of humiliation. What she wasn't prepared for was what he did instead.

She found those two ponds of deep, blue waves looking intently, straightly into hers with an expression too complicated to fully describe.

"You really look so low of me?" After a long gaze, he finally bided.

Not knowing how to answer, Caroline changed the subject, "how come you got all these? Is this tendinis thing common? I didn't even know what it is before today."

"Common for ordinary people? No. Routine for pâtissiers or artists or whatever occupation that require lots of hand-using? Yes." Klaus grabbed her hand again and pasted the pain relief patch on her wrist, "but only for those who practice hard."

Caroline looked at him once again, wondering if he had gone through this hard-working phase when he was still green in arts. He was skilled in the nursing part after all. And sure the lone wolf would have to do that alone.

The thought of Klaus wrapping himself with his other hand gave her heart a sore punch.

"There you go." Klaus smoothed the patch again before freeing Caroline's right wrist and added, "try not do things with it these days. Don't practice drawing either."

"How am I going to hand in the work we did today on time then?" Caroline checked her wrist and furrowed her brows. She didn't thought it was this serious. It was only soring, never aching before the day.

Klaus turned around to put the kit away as he responded, leaving his face unseen, "your piece would never be accepted under this condition anyway."

"What?" Caroline threw her hand high in the air, "oh, so now we're going through this irritating routine again? You humiliate me in front of the whole class. Check. You tell me how badly I draw. Check. You tell me to go home and turn in another piece. Check. You refuse to accept my work without telling me where the real problem lies in AGAIN. Check. I thought this was over when you said I passed last time!"

Klaus was wearing that quarrel smirk when he turned to face her, distracting Caroline to wonder if he ever smile or laugh wholeheartedly. "Now that's serious accusation. First, I never said your drawings were BAD. I was only hoping to see more improvement. Now don't roll your eyes, I mean it. Second, believe it or not, I don't want this all over again either. You're the one who caused all of this."

"Huh, I'M the reason?" Caroline shook her head and started heading towards the door, "Mr. Mikaelson, you're impossible."

"Well thanks for the compliment. I've been told worse." He mocked, "fleeing this room like you did on the first day isn't going to change anything, you know."

Caroline jerked back with a furious countenance and gritted, "I wasn't and am not fleeing. I just can't stand you. Ugh, what's your problem?"

Klaus raised the pitch and shouted, "how many times do I have to tell you, I wasn't trying to embarrass you. The problem is not me. It's you!"

Just as she was ready to shoot back, a quiet knock stepped in the way.

Klaus sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, "come on in."

"Mr. Mikaelson, your painting and paraphernalia." The Asian boy in the course came in with Klaus' stuff.

"Just leave them by the door." Having calmed down a little, Klaus poured himself some Scotch while ordering.

The boy shot Caroline a pitiful look before he exited. He must had heard their fight.

Caroline leaned to the wall and exhaled before she opened her mouth again, "so are you going to tell me about my problem this time or not? And I mean TELL tell, elaborate. Don't give me another _'Art is about yourself'_ riddle."

Klaus took a last swig, "read through the lines, young girl."

"Okay I get the _art is about myself_ part. You want me to develop my own style of drawing instead of mimicking others." Caroline slid down against the wall to sit in exhaustion, "and I really tried not to. You accepted my London Eye piece. So what now?"

He laid the glass and paced slowly towards her, "yes, I can see you've overcame the mimicking part, which was quite impressing considering the brief period you took."

"Really?" Caroline sat up with her eyes lit up by Klaus' first ever compliment on her.

"That's your problem. You're taking others', umm, opinions too seriously." Klaus chuckled, leaving _my opinion_ unsaid.

"The London Eye work was accepted only because I saw something about YOU in it. But the later works you drew… let's just say… yes. They were you. But they were not the real you. They were an insecure and helpless girl shouting for others' attention and acknowledgement. Don't deny it."

But she wasn't trying to.

Caroline didn't know how her expression then looked but it surely wasn't a pleased one. She could feel the bitterness on her tongue, for his correct analysis on her, AGAIN.

_He sees through me._

Klaus squatted, allowing their gaze to meet on the same horizontal. "You were exaggerating, using screaming colors on every work, regardless of the motif. Exaggeration and colors can be used, they're not wrong, but only when they're needed. I tried to show you with the Chinese ink painting subject."

He grabbed the paint the Asian boy just delivered and showed it to her.

On that canvas he just worked on was the woods, painted with mere 2 colors, black and white. "Look, you don't have to apply a hundred colors to create a vital scenery. In a Chinese ink painting way… different concentrations of black and multiple shades of white can build the atmosphere as well, or even reveal the aroma in a more delicate way.

Caroline's head fell while she reflected over Klaus' words. He was right. "Why didn't you just tell me?"

"I wanted you to figure that out by yourself, like I…" Klaus swallowed his last word and closed his eyes briefly before opening them again to continue, "the realization would only be solid and stick with you if it comes to you itself."

She raised her head but failed to spot any familiar hostility on his face or in his voice. It was replaced by authentic sincerity, everything a student could ever ask of a teacher, a mentor to provide.

"Listen, Caroline. Art is not about others' acknowledgement. Art is not about being _loud._ Art is about yourself…" He pointed closely to her left chest, "it's about how you truly feel, and what you want to tell, here."

That day Caroline left the tyrant's office with a heavy heart and the permission of a late turn-in. She didn't miss the fact that this was the first time for her first name to be laid on those exquisite lips.

* * *

><p>Later that evening, Caroline took a Tube to the west end and ended up purchasing a last minute sale ticket to one of the most popular musicals in London for she wasn't quite ready to deal with all the questions Bonnie and Elena must had prepared for her.<p>

By the time Caroline return to the dorm, Elena had already retrieved to her partition and she seemed to get the hint. Caroline was never bothered with the questions she thought would overwhelm her.

She handled everything mostly with only one hand the next few days and felt relieved when weekend finally approached. It wasn't that she was having a hard time. In fact, Elena helped a lot during the week. It was that she was overloaded with all the inconvenience and Klaus' words troubling her at the same time. Or rather, Klaus' precise insight into her.

No one had ever known her so profoundly, even her best friend took a year or two to discover the insecurity that lied behind her fighting façade.

And this panicked her. She didn't want to tell either of the girls for she thought they were too good to understand the dark part of her. Of course it wasn't okay to let her mom know she'd been talking back to her lecturer. She somehow didn't even feel right to let Stefan know her situation with Klaus.

It wasn't until then that it dawned on Caroline that she'd really got few people she trusted deeply enough to talk to when it comes to serious problems. And all she could think of or imagine now, was spilling out all her thoughts to Klaus, the origin of her restlessness.

"What are you doing!" Caroline yelled to herself, scratching her head and tossing herself on her bed at the same time, wishing to drive her thoughts away from her normally harsh lecturer.

She sat up and covered her face with her hands determinately. "Ugh, a change of the scene can do."

So there the blonde was, in one of her must-go list places.

She breathed in the relaxing air as she strolled the catwalks between the lush lawns and burning trees in Hyde Park. She smiled as the breeze caressed her cheeks when she took her time picnicking by a pond full of birds in Kensington Park. At last she couldn't really locate which park she was in since the two parks were connected- not that she minded, she was too busy enjoying her mental leisure time in ages.

Caroline was going to sit down when a soccer ball bounced in her sight.

She caught it with her intact hand and turned around in search of its owner, only to find a small, familiar figure running over.

"Thank you very much..." Henrik didn't recognize her until he stopped before her knees, "hey, we've met before!"

Caroline smiled and returned the ball, "I remember you, Henrik."

The boy received his ball with a wide grin and caught Caroline off guard by reaching for her right hand, "I never knew your name. I wanted to thank you. Lijah did scold Kol that night… but Bekah said I couldn't because I didn't know your address and name."

Henrik's childish words entertained Caroline, "the name's Caroline Forbes, you can call me Caroline."

"Okay Caroline," he took her hand in his and haled lightly, "come with me! I want to show you to Nik!"

Caroline froze at the name the boy mentioned. She wasn't ready to face the guy she'd been thinking of all the time yet. Their actual encounter wasn't supposed to be any earlier than on Monday.

"Wha-what, you're brother's with you?" Caroline remained solid despite of Henrik's tug, mind racing a mile a minute, trying to come up with an excuse to excuse herself from the boy.

It wasn't like she really believed she could escape anyway.

"Henrik? What are you doing with that lady…Miss Forbes." Klaus jogged across the lawn in a navy hoodie and a pair of dark washed jeans, "let go of Miss Forbes' hand. You're hurting her, Henrik."

"It's okay, it's almost recovered."

"How do you know Caroline and how do you know she's injured?" Henrik and Caroline said at the same time.

Klaus gave the exchange student a brief nod before lowering himself to lift Henrik in his arms, "Miss Forbes happened to be a student of mine, and how do you know her, baby brother?"

"She's the one Kol and I met in the streets that night!" Henrik giggled, "Nik, can Caroline please please please play football with us?"

"I think Miss Forbes' hand would be…"Klaus frowned but he never completed the sentence. His words were cut off by his favorite brothers' huge puppy eyes, "fine, fine. If she agrees to."

Then the two Mikaelsons turned to the only female in the trio, one pleading for her to join and the other's expression unreadable.

Caroline hesitated for a while but gave in to the look the lovely boy was shooting her, "I'm not good at ball games."

"You can be the referee!" Henrik exclaimed as he wiggled in Klaus' arms, wanting to land.

* * *

><p>Caroline's next hour and the next after that was spent racing from this side of the grass to the other, and she couldn't help but thank Klaus for calling a pause to the game to answer a home call.<p>

"Whoa, I thought I was going to be the judge." She lied down, sweeping bean-size sweat drops from her temples.

Henrik joined her and frightened a few tiny bugs to flight as he fell heavily to the green, "but you had fun, didn't you?"

Caroline cackled as she rolled to her side to face the boy and saw Klaus' irate gestures as he walked further with the phone in his hand, "indeed."

Henrik rolled towards her as well, "do you like London? What's your favorite part?"

Now only mere distance between them, Caroline wondered if they seemed like close sister and brother hugging each other to strangers. The thought itself made her smile from the depth of her heart. "I haven't got time for city tours yet. So I guess my favorite place so far should be this park."

Henrik's telltale face shone at her words, showing his delight that he had participated in her memory of her favorite place in his hometown, "you'll even like the park more when you see the statue of Peter Pan. It's my favorite. Nik used to like it a lot, too."

Caroline raised her brow in astonishment. She didn't think a man like Klaus would favor a statue of a fairytale character, "then you should show me next time. I'm curious."

"How did you hurt your hand, Caroline?" Henrik suddenly changed the subject and sat up with some grass stuck in his hair, looking at the pain relief patch carefully, as if even sights could break the fragile wrist.

Caroline wasn't planning on telling the boy details but another peek of Klaus' far off fury made her decide to distract the boy as long as possible, "well there's a big, bad lecturer in my school…"

Henrik's reaction to Caroline's story was way more serious than she had expected. He even took out his smartphone, which Caroline was surprised that a child of his age owned, and insisted on having Caroline's number so his brother, who happened to be the dean of Caroline's school, could talk to her when he arrived home. "That's definitely not what a gentleman should do. Not what Lijah and Nik taught me."

Caroline had to suppress her shakes of secret laughs looking at the serious furrows between the boy's brows.

"What are you guys doing?" Klaus jogged back to them and scratched his brother's head before sitting down beside them.

"Caroline just told me about her monster teacher in school. Nik, How come you never report this to Lijah if you knew he hurt your student?" Henrik grabbed his elder brother's hand and hugged him as he said so.

Klaus' face fell as he pierced Caroline a knowing glare. She managed to fake an innocent look before bursting into the biggest laughter she'd ever had in weeks.

"Come on, Henrik. Elijah wants us to get home for dinner. Finn's coming tonight." Klaus stood up and patted himself to get rid of the stray grass on his pants.

Caroline was surprised at the hand he held out to help her stand up but took it eventually, "I'm taking the Tube so I guess it's time to say goodbye."

"Nonsense." Klaus stated, smirking, "my car is parked the same way so why don't you accompany us to it since Henrik seems to adore you."

* * *

><p>"You know you really are different outside the university, Mr. Mikaelson." Caroline finally plucked up the courage to confess on their walk to his car. It wasn't until moments before that she figured this out. She wouldn't have played soccer with him or even prank with Henrik if he was the Niklaus Mikaelson she dealt with in the studio.<p>

"What, that I wear casual instead of my work-shirts surprises you?" Klaus replied, chuckling instead of responding directly.

Caroline laughed at his joke. Feeling no longer nervous thinking of him or being in his presence but comfortable instead, she decided to just go with it, "and that you play soccer."

"Artists sport, okay?" He took the ball from Henrik (regardless of his protest) and tossed it up high before capturing it again, "and please, say football instead of soccer."

Caroline threw her head up high in laughter, "yeah, yeah. British English vocabulary."

"I'm serious." Klaus looked at her with a smile on his face, "why use a name created by a nation who gives its original one to another sport just because they don't really play it?"

Caroline shook her head in laughter as they reached the edge of the park, "let's just call it a day before we start another war over soc-football, Mr. Mikaelson."

"My car's over there." Klaus nodded in agreement and pulled out his key, "Henrik, bid your farewell."

Caroline said her goodbyes and headed to the entrance of the underground across the street.

"Miss Forbes!" A voice stopped her from descending at the stairs downwards, "call me Klaus, when we're not on campus."

She smiled to the last minute words and decided to tell him what she'd been thinking all along today, "Klaus?"

He was already half in his car by then, but he stepped out and looked her way, lipping her a "yes?"

"You know, I just went to a musical this week and it's about a mistaken wicked witch…" Caroline shouted from her side of the street. She was too occupied considering how to convey her true feelings to care for people's frowns on her, "some people might seem like demons lurking in shadow or villains in fairy tales told to children. But I guess I figured out the truth today. These people are only mistaken. Maybe in another unseen version of the story, they are knights in shining armor."

Klaus said nothing in reply but gave her a wholehearted smile instead.

**Sorry, I know I delayed. I had a miserable final week and slept 2 hours on daily basis. And on the weekend more tragedy occurred so all I could do was postpone my writings. I tried to make it up to you by making it a bit longer. Do you like this full-of-Klaroline chapter? Tell me your thoughts please!**

**In this chapter I revealed a softer part of Klaus. I hope you don't find this Klaus too OOC. We can't always have them fighting after all, and Klaus was always friendlier beside our favorite blonde vamp and his family. This is just a get-to-know-more-about-each-other stage. For Care, my settings for her was that although she has Stefan to help her through high school and become less competitive in my story, such intent insecurity is only fixed by her vampirism in the show. So in this non-supernatural fic, there are still some dark parts in her and Klaus will be the one to understand,discover and help her out of it.**

**The outfit Klaus is wearing at the park was the one Joseph Morgan wore in the Christmas half season finale of TO season 2. Oh I somehow just love that look so much. (Maybe the polaroid scene helped haha.) The musical Care mentioned at the end of the story was one of my favorites, ****_Wicked_****. The lines she said was adapted from a TO quote. I cried when Klaus said those words to Elijah in the show and that's what made me stick to the series regardless of its wild plot. ****_It's all about family._**

**Thanks to Chelseab95, jessnicole, Mystery Girl3, blueberry55, Maaaarianne, Angelikah, talv1914, Libra86, klaroline4everlove, lele91, chillwithJyl, worldwarIII, goldenhummingbird, FuryanWarrior, tippy093, ashleysimp, Ferocious Tango, Ashilz, Ashley and Guests for your kind reviews. I know I say this every time but your feedbacks really made my days, especially those in misery. Also a huge hug to those who answered my question either by PM or review. You helped me made the decision. Guess which way I'm gonna make them go through? The easier one or the tough one?**

**To answer one of the requests, I'm afraid I can't promise Bamon shipping in this story, YET. As you all know, Bonnie's dating someone in this story and sorry this not-Damon guy has something important to do with the couple. But I haven't decided whether Bonnie's gonna break up with this guy in the end or not, so let's just say if they do and the plot goes on as planned, I'll ship them at the end of the story. But no promises, sorry!**

**I've finished my semester now and I'm planning on updating twice (maybe one for this story and the other for one-shots) a week during the vacation. Unfortunately, I was going on a family trip next week so the double update plan won't start until the week after next. Just keep tuned and if my works have gained your faith in me so far, please don't hesitate to check out my one-shots when they're out.**

**So I'll see you next time then!**

**Preview: Klaus' POV and more of the youngest Mikaelson.**


	6. Chapter 6 Texts, the sensation unknown

"Lijah, I'm finished!" Henrik announced on his chair by the dining table.

Elijah sighed at the spinach left on his brother's plate, "Henrik, what did we talk about last evening, about balanced diet and picky eating?"

"But I hate veggies!" the boy moaned and turned to his other brother, "Nik, tell Lijah I've been good today. I can skip a meal without chewing like a lamb."

"As reluctant as I am to admit, I'm afraid Elijah is right like always on this one, Henrik," Klaus coaxed, "why don't you eat it up and we'll talk about our little field trip next week?"

Henrik whined as he did so then retrieved back to his room for TV time. Klaus was planning on following suite to have some relaxation with his favorite baby brother before Finn coughed to gain everyone's attention.

"I would like to have Henrik stay over at Mother's next Wednesday night." Finn proclaimed and the dining room fell into sudden silence.

It was Kol's sneer that broke the stillness, "I knew Finn visiting for dinner would never be something pleasing. Like Judas and the last supper."

"And you talk like you get to make the decision, which is totally not the case." Rebekah scoffed in sarcasm, "in case you forget how this family works or missed the headline of today's daily,"

She swallowed, wiped her mouth with a napkin and purposely threw the cloth at Finn's now empty plate as she rose to leave the room, "it's usually Nik who runs the _because I said so_ scene."

Finn remained calm regardless of his sister's ever fierce act and continued once she disappeared, "it's Mother's birthday."

Elijah picked up his wine glass gracefully and took a sip from it, "which is very well noticed."

"And you ask for this literally every year." Kol rolled his eyes.

"Mother's condition is getting worse these days and I believe she could use her youngest son's company." Finn stated, looking firmly at his siblings, who'd been living separately from him and their mother since their parents' divorce.

Klaus slammed his glass heavily on the desk as he pierced glares at his eldest brother, "and you expect us to risk letting our beloved brother stay overnight with that lunatic woman just because she's meeting the fate she deserved?"

"Hold your tongue Niklaus. Whatever hatred you hold against Mother, she's till the woman who gave birth to us." Elijah turned from his blond brother to the elder one, "as for your proposal, Brother, the answer this year would still be negative for it contradicts our deal."

Kol strode to the back of the eldest of his siblings and patted on his shoulder, "I'm with Elijah. We've already been allowing Mother to keep 3 hours of Henrik's company on weekday evenings and that alone freaks him out. You'd be as mad as Mother if you ever believe we'd approve another step forward."

"I supposed accompanying parents in sickbeds was something, well, filial and normal for sons and daughters to do." Finn drummed his fingers on the table cloth, "but since our family is, frankly speaking, very much far from normal and it's obvious that you don't want our baby brother to learn what's right to do, I'll have to negotiate."

"Just spit." Klaus cursed through his clenched teeth.

"Exchange. You've been longing for a Christmas dinner without me and our parents for years. What a merry scene to imagine. Just the stray Mikaelsons with their darling baby brother." Finn picked up the napkin Rebekah'd tossed at him and started folding it neatly, "Christmas dinner on your own this year for the overnight stay next week."

Neither did the brothers made a sound.

Finn's lips tugged as he placed the tidily folded napkin in front of Klaus deliberately, "I'll take it as_ deal_ then."

* * *

><p>"Hey mate," Klaus whispered as he entered Henrik's room, "what are you up to?"<p>

Henrik held his smartphone up high, beaming, "I'm texting Caroline!"

"You are?" Klaus hadn't been exaggerating the look of surprise on his face when he sat down and read the phone screen, "when'd you get her number, dab hand?"

Henrik crawled and had himself seated on his big brother's lap, "I was going to have Lijah help with her problem but Lijah said he'd prefer to handle it secretly. So I think maybe a _Hi_ will reassure her?"

Klaus couldn't help but laugh secretly at his elder brother's cleverness and his baby brother's innocence. He simply nodded and watched how Henrik's face lit up as he sent his first ever text message. Sometimes he persuade himself the pure naiveté he saw in Henrik's eyes was the only glimmer of light that helped him hang on.

The boy's birth had been the damaged family's rescue and redeemer. There's no way he'd let the fact that Henrik was born in to a hell of mess put this angel in the misery he was in.

"Henrik, there's something I have to discuss with you." Klaus started hesitantly, "Finn wants you to stay over at Esther's next week."

"No!" Henrik cried immediately. He turned and looked up at Klaus with moisture in his eyes, "Nik, I hate being with Mother. She scares me. No, no, please don't make me."

"I know, Henrik, I know. We should've asked for your opinion but…" Klaus soothed as he combed the boy's short hair with his fingers, failed to come up with what to say, "in exchange we don't have to be with Esther, Mikael and Finn this Christmas. Think about it, the whole Christmas, just you and I, Elijah, Bekah and Kol. Just us."

Klaus spent another hour comforting Henrik, who eventually stopped crying and agreed with the bargain he never had a voice in.

The bitter taste of guilt oozed through Klaus' mouth as he carefully placed the now asleep Henrik on his tiny bed and tugged him in the sheets. He was trying to pull the phone from the boy's tight grasp when it vibrated and the screen glowed.

_Hi and goodnight, sweetie._ Read the respond text from Caroline.

Klaus hardly had a clue what he was doing right then.

He'd sneaked his baby brother's phone back to his own room for a text his student had sent in reply.

He tried to convince himself that he simply did it so he could respond for his brother and not disturb his sleep with all the back and forth messages. What he wasn't aware of was he had been expecting back and forth messages before even replying.

_What lame excuse_. He thought to himself. _Whatever. Not going to let some college girl effect my thoughts._ He left the phone on the nightstand and lied down on his bed, ready to let the haunting image of his student go.

Yet he failed.

The harder he tried to focus on falling asleep, the harder it was to tear his thoughts from the very blonde_._

He really needed to sleep. It was an exhausting day- not that he hadn't enjoyed the ball game with Henrik and, well, the blonde- and he's got courses to teach tomorrow, _History of Art and Application_, where he was going to meet the blonde, again.

How had this blonde grow on him?

He really meant what he had told his siblings on the evening of the first day, that this Caroline Forbes was no more than a pretty face to him. He'd even been annoyed and worried that her lacking of skill and experience in art would burden the class and his teaching pace.

But things changed gradually and as he found out how hard the girl had been working to catch up, to earn _HIS_ acknowledgement, he felt he saw his former self in her.

They were basically the same. Niklaus Mikaelson, who had worked so hard to meet his so-called father's expectations but in vain, and Caroline Forbes, who held an insecure little girl behind her fighting, strong façade. They were the ones who were never good enough, never the first choice of others.

Her endeavors reminded him of the countless nights he spent researching and drawing, eager to make himself eligible for high positions in the university, hoping that he could eventually gain Mikael's acknowledgement. Even the tiniest progress would make him wildly excited, rejoicing over his being a little closer to living up the name of the Mikaelsons.

Caroline looking up to him was just like how he'd used to look up to Mikael.

He had wanted to prove himself wrong by scolding and humiliating her, in hope that she would be intimidated and eventually back off. It turned out that he was wrong indeed. They were the same but not that similar.

His assumptions would have been right ironically if she'd backed off.

But she didn't. Unlike him.

Klaus had stopped looking up to his father once he found out the truth of his identity, once he found out why Mikael would never be satisfied with the effort he'd made, and cocooned himself in a cold, dark, hard, harsh mask.

On the other hand, she was still so lively, so full of light, so willing to fight and take challenges, even after all those obstacles. Unlike him, so different.

So he was wrong and like a curious moth drawn to bonfire light, he subconsciously guided her, helped her and…

How to name this sensation?

He takes an interest in her, although he hardly knew her outside of the studio.

Ah, fancy, that's it. He fancied her.

Tricky. Neither like nor love, he simply fancied her.

It was as if he could imagine her whole figure right there, right then. The twinkles that bounced between her blonde curls, the die-hard smile on her angelic face, the silky touch he felt when massaging her wrist in his office, the slightly high-pitched voice she let out when she felt offended.

She was a symphony of _andante cantabile_, a brook chiming crystal rhythm deep in some remote forest, an edelweiss he'd like to wake up to every morning.

Wait, did he just thought about waking up to his student?

Klaus finally admitted that he'd never get any sleep if he kept ignoring the want, the need to reply that text message.

So he followed his heart.

* * *

><p>Caroline had just finished showering all the sweat from the football game when her phone beeped. She hadn't expect to receive another message from Henrik so soon and was ready to play the <em>why aren't you in bed yet<em> motherly role when she unlocked her phone.

_Goodnight to you too, love._

That was definitely not the five-year-old lovely boy texting.

It frightened her for a while and even got the towel covering her naked, wet body dropped to the floor.

It wasn't until she dried herself and put her PJs on that she felt calm enough to reply the text from her dreaded yet hot lecturer.

She thought twice- well, she actually repeated the type-then-delete-and-type-again cycle several times- before settling with "_I had a great afternoon today, thanks_."

She was just about to put down the phone when it beeped again.

_Same here. Although it's our pleasure to have your company._

Caroline smiled at Klaus' respond before receiving another message.

_Actually, I believe I'm the only one who should be holding gratitude. Henrik's been homeschooling ever since he came of age and you're pretty much his first non-relative friend. That was the first text message he's ever sent. Thank you for being so nice to him._

Caroline couldn't help but felt warm reading those words by the man who she'd been loathing until last week. Had he not opened up and told her how – in an extreme way- he'd been trying to teach her, she wouldn't have enjoyed a pleasant, relaxing afternoon with him. Had it not been this, she had to admit, amazing afternoon experience, she wouldn't have known the tyrant could be so carefree but caring. Had she not seen the other side of Klaus, she wouldn't be…

So confused now.

She wonder how she felt for him now, how to address this unknown attraction he had for her.

She hardly even knew him, yet she was tangling with herself now._ How to respond?_

"_It's my honor to be a friend of his. According to what Henrik said when we first met, I can tell how come his first friend came so late. He had the most flawless, caring siblings in the world,_" was what Caroline ended up sending after a whole new round of self-debate.

It wasn't long before she got another reply, and another after that, and several after that.

The clock on Caroline's nightstand stroked 2 when she finally received a "_you should go get some sleep. I'll see you tomorrow_" from Klaus.

_Okay. Goodnight. For real this time_. She laughed as she sent it.

_Sweet dreams for sweethearts._ Klaus replied.

**AN/**

**Okay I know this is shorter then what I usually do but it seemed like the only place to stop before it grow into a 20-Microsoft-word-page chapter, that way I won't be updating until the end of January haha! Please tell me your thoughts about this chapter. I was stuck in the texting part, ugh, it took me 2 whole nights to finish that. I hope you don't think it boring.**

****Doing a poll again here****

**I had all the major plot planned now (including the ending, oh I think you're gonna love it!) but I ran out of ideas of dating places for the couple so I'd like to know where and what you want them to go and to do. Some of you already gave me advice in the reviews and they inspired me a lot. So please give me more inspirations!**

**Big hugs for my dearest reviewers: ****_Angelikah, maryrose16, lele91, Mystery Girl3, AnnaTom23, Chelseab95, secile, nafertidi, iceSTEP, chillwithJyl, Ashilz, talv1914, Maaaarianne, goldenhummingbird, tippy093, klaroline4everlove and Guests._**** Your wonderful reviews tugged my lips when reading them and sometimes I think I must be dreaming to receive such kind words. Thank you so much.**

**To answer some questions from you (forgive me if I missed answering! I didn't do it on purpose, it's either I forgot typing answers in the AN or the answer will be a spoiler so I can't just tell.), I wasn't planning on mentioning Caroline's major in this story since I can't quite make up my mind on that and I don't find that piece of information necessary in this fic. For those who really wanna know, just note that she's probably doing literature and language (like me!) or drama, something not so close but not too far from Arts, but definitely not science haha. Another question is that how come I make Care fall for Klaus first. Well you might find that assumption not quite correct in this chapter since the couple are having mutual feelings for each other now, only Klaus hasn't been showing them because I was always writing Care's POV. Even I don't know who fall for who first (shame to admit haha), sometimes the story just comes to my fingers and I type them instead of plotting them. But here's one thing that's obvious- Klaus is having more feelings for Caroline than her for him now since he fancies her and she still doesn't know how to address her feelings for him. So let's just see how the story spins off.**

**I got another advice (which I'm not sure if I got it right) that college students in the UK get projects to do at home. I'm not sure whether this 'project' here means the drawings they do in Klaus' course or the midterm project mentioned in CH2. If it meant the latter, let's say Klaus was being harsh pushing the proposals of topics on the first day and they'll be doing presentations later. If it meant the former one, I'll have to admit, as an amateur art lover (linguistic major and literature minor student here!), I don't really know how art courses work in Britain so I was just writing as how art courses in my uni works. If it contradicts anything please just go with my ****_because Klaus said so_**** explanation haha. (I always enjoy writing the original family quarrels.)**

**Finally, I was quite surprise to find so many Kennette shippers among my readers! No offense but I really rarely pay attention to shippings besides Klaroline so either shipping will be fine with me. And since Bamon shipping was requested first but there were more Kennette requests… I don't really know which shipping I'm going for the ending now. Let's just see how the plot develops, no promises now, sorry!**

**See you next week then, double updates!**

**Preview: Klaroline in class and more Klaroline texting!**


	7. Chapter 7 Read Messages, The Addict

Klaus was walking towards the studio, looking at his- or rather his brother's phone- when he bumped into a dark body.

"My bad, I wasn't paying atte-" He raised his head to apologize, only to froze at the recognition of the man in front of him, "what brings you here, Marcel?"

The other man cracked a grin, showing off shiny white teeth as he patted on his former master's back, "nothing in particular, old friend. I was just wondering if I could borrow some books from you, those I can't find in the library."

One side of his lips tugged, Klaus pointed him a disbelief look, "you expect me to buy that you're waiting outside my studio just for some ordinary books?"

"They're for my annual research." Marcel shrugged casually.

Klaus rested his hands in his pocket, composed as always but also aware of how important annual researches are and how they can effect one's promotion in a university , "remind me why I should lend you the goods and allow you the chance to steal that associate professor position from me?"

Their gaze met seriously before they both burst into laughter.

"Oh, come on. Like you've already gotten that position in your pocket." Marcel pulled his arm over Klaus' shoulder like old friends- and they actually were- as he continued, "If you win, you win thoroughly and honorably, not by attempting nasty little tricks. That, I learned from you."

Klaus chuckled while that very blonde entered the studio, passing them with a brief nod directed to Klaus.

"Caro-Miss Forbes!" He called for her halt, almost pronouncing her first name in public, "don't start drawing yet. Your wrist won't heal until this weekend."

She shot him a smile over her shoulder, restrained in the presence of a third party.

"Since when are you so nice to your students?" A half smile of curiosity graced Marcel's face as he queried in a playful tone, "you never cared about MY WRIST when I was working with you, gentleman."

Klaus snorted, "give it a rest, mate. I've got course to teach. Just text me the books you need and I'll have them sent to you assistant-what's his name?"

"Diego." Marcel answered gratefully with a click on his tongue, "cheers then. Equal and fair?"

"Equal and fair, mate." He confirmed.

* * *

><p>"Midterm project presentations starts next week." Klaus announced at the podium with a list in hand, "one presentation each week. Starting with… Mr. Kim, you're doing Vincent Van Goh?"<p>

Caroline's sight stuck on him all along. She massaged her wrist subconsciously and exchanged whispers with Bonnie during Klaus' explanation of the day's activity, but ever since she spotted that exact phone peeking from his seat pocket, which Henrik held when he asked for her number at the park, she just couldn't bring herself to keep her eyes off him.

That was a complicated feeling. A dilemma, or rather, a maze of wonders. Part of her wondered how come he was carrying his brother's phone with him while another part of her wished he was expecting a text from her. Yet another part of her wondered why she cared about this so much, cared about his every movement today, and about the fact that he wasn't the one to initiate a new round of text messaging, which she was acutely waiting for as well. Still another part of her wondered how come he'd never sent her a message from his own phone. It'd be easy for him to do so for with her number just a click away.

However, what bothered her the most was the reason why he'd been avoiding eye contact with her the whole session. It couldn't have been more natural for their eyes to meet a hundred times during that class, considering her constant attention to him. He must have been purposely hedging.

It was until the end of the course that Caroline decided she wasn't a resigned one to keep truth at bay. She was that headstrong girl who takes action to find out if anything was wrong, and if there was, she fixed it. She needed to know if she was the cause of his sudden attitude change after she walked in this studio. He had just personally paid her wrist concern 2 hours or so ago.

So when Klaus asked the class a question which she was sure no one else could possibly know the answer to, she shot her hand up high and waited eagerly for him to lay his eyes on her.

But all he did, was pasting a blank expression on his face, and kept on talking as if no one offered to respond, as if he couldn't see her and Bonnie's shocked look at the furthest end of the room. Before she could recover from the astonishment, he had dismissed the class and rushed out of the room.

"Hey, Care." Bonnie eyed worriedly at her, "you alright? Elena asked if we wanna go out for a girls' night."

* * *

><p>"Maybe he just really didn't see your hand." Bonnie comforted on their way to the bar, "we're sitting at the edge of the studio."<p>

Caroline ran her fingers through her hair in frustration as she checked on her phone for the 38th time that evening, the hint of defeat clear on her pale face, "no, I was lucky everyone else didn't saw my hand. We were sitting behind their back so they couldn't see Klaus humiliate me once again, but it's crystal clear that he was ignoring me, on purpose. I mean, how could him not see a hand from the back of the classroom? It's a freaking tiny studio, not a baseball stadium!"

"Caroline, no offense, but I think you're overreacting." Elena commented as she pushed open the door of the bar, pouring the beat of the music into their ears, "hasn't Klaus always been like that? It's not the first time for him to insult you. I'd be used to it by now if I were you."

"Elena!" Bonnie pierced the other brunette a scolding look but didn't make any effort to oppose what she said.

It wasn't until then that Caroline realized she hadn't get the chance to tell them about the tyrant's surprisingly tender massage remedy in his office and her encounter with the very same man on the weekend. She checked the inbox of her phone again, only to be disappointed by its emptiness again before spilling the peas hesitantly, "okay…here's something I gotta tell you. Promise you won't tell?"

* * *

><p>"Oh. My. God. Caroline Forbes, did you just told us that you tamed the tyrant of art?" Elena exclaimed hysterically in their relatively quiet cornered booth, obviously drunk already.<p>

Caroline downed her beer as she eyed the dark screen of her phone again, "look who's overreacting now. It's not _tame_, it's nothing, Elena. I just ran into him on city tour last Sunday."

"Ugh, don't be silly." The Gilbert girl snorted and poked Bonnie with her elbow, "ask Bon. The tyrant's never helped cure any student before, you might just broke the Guinness Record."

Bonnie was still wide-eyed from the story the blonde told them. She muttered after taking a few dramatic blinks, "she's right. I thought Klaus was just paying different attention to the newbie, but he is different to you. Like, _different_ different."

Caroline shook her head in denial, unlocking her Wifi-connected phone to receive emails, "you guys are being ridicu-"

Elena stuck her head against Caroline's cheek, curious about her friend's unexpected pause, "what?"

"Stefan's flight is set. He's arriving a week before Christmas." Carline beamed at the email she just received with true joy.

"Oh please save it, Elena Gilbert." Bonnie sneered good naturedly at the now blushing brunette, "I know you've had a crush for your roommate's best friend ever since you caught a glance of him on skype last time, but this really isn't time for flushing now. Caroline just dropped a jumbo bombshell on us, and I really couldn't care less about that Stefan guy. It's Niklaus Mikaelson we're talking about here!"

"Bonnie!" It was Elena's turn to pout and call her friend's name in that scolding tone now.

Caroline laughed as they bickered, for the first instant that day she felt carefree and relaxed. She arched her brows as she asked for beer refill, "why don't you tell us about your date, Bonnie?"

"Ah-ha! Tables turn, Bennett!" Head thrown back and glass held high, Elena cheered for the love-life update she'd been waiting too long to hear.

Bonnie's beautiful caramel colored face was graced with a glowing smile. Apparently deeply in love, her cheeks reddened before even putting her respond to words, "Well, we've been going out for a while and I think it won't be long before we settle down. Prepare yourselves for a dinner with my boyfriend."

"A boyfriend to-be, Bonnie Bennett. That's good for y-" Caroline was going to congratulate her before her phone beeped and her hand rushed to it in no time.

"Seriously, Care, we're enjoying a girls' night and you've been restlessly checking your phone. I have a feeling that Bonnie's not the only one with a secret date here-" Having witnessed the expression on Caroline's face turned from nervous to anticipation, from anticipation to delightfulness, Elena couldn't help but caught her off guard by snatching the gadget away from her. Her sentence stopped abruptly as she laid her eyes on the context.

_Wrist better, love?_

"Who the hell is this Henrik on your contact list?" Elena lowered the phone to access Bonnie a shared sight of it as she inquired, addressing the name at the _From_ column.

"Must be a Brit, Elena. Only British _blokes_ add charm names to every sentence they say or type," Bonnie, also lost in alcohol, grabbed away the phone and started typing, "Much…better… thank…you… wink face or 3 u, which do you prefer, Caroline, or should I say, LOVE?"

Caroline shot up into standing posture in panic, body leaning forward, hands waving helplessly in the air, unable to retrieve her phone, "give it back!"

Entertainment boosted by the blonde's severe reaction, Elena hugged herself as she faked a kissing move, "XXOO is much better."

"Agreed." Bonnie grinned wickedly at the owner of the phone as her nail-polished fingers shifted swiftly on its screen, ignoring Caroline's desperate cry, "No, Bonnie, no! You can't send that kind of message to him!"

"Oops," Bonnie impishly pasted a false apologetic smile on her face after her last tap on the screen was done, "message sent. There's no going back now."

In despair, Caroline's whole body sagged onto the table like a shrinking balloon and began crashing her forehead on the solid tabletop the minute she touched its surface. "I could use a giant hole on the ground. Bury me and never let me out of it, no matter how hard I try talking sweet later." She groaned, more to herself than to her pranky friends.

"So are you going to tell us about this _LOVELY_ guy or not?" wiggling her brows, Elena pulled a mischievous smile from ear to ear, but was soon interrupted by the beep of the phone, "wow, this one replies fast! He does like you."

"_That's good news._ Aw, how sweet of him. _You shall be fine to start drawing in class by next Monday-_" Caroline took the chance and snapped back her phone from Elena before the brunette could finish her reading out the text and sentence by sentence comment, covering it securely against her chest with both palms.

"OMG, Caroline are you dating your classmate?" Elena asked in astonishment as the truth quickly dawned on her, "no, no, no, this can't be."

Still in the dark, Bonnie frowned, "what, Elena?"

The brunette mumbled her assumption after scanning her roommate's stiffened figure up and down in disbelief, "I think it's from Klaus."

* * *

><p>"All these time you've been phone-dating Klaus and you never thought about telling us?" Bonnie teased as she took another sip of her Tequila, "you naughty, dirty girl!"<p>

"How many times do I have to tell you, this is not a phone date! I just happened to text my lecturer, that's all. And it's just been two days, the second haven't even started yet." Caroline sighed in frustration, arms crossed in front of her chest. If she wanted them to bury and hide her from the rest of the world 10 minutes ago, than she definitely couldn't wait a second for committing suicide now.

"The dreaded, notorious, bad-tempered lecturer who's been humiliating you the whole time?"

"Through his brother's phone?" The girls across the table bit back at the same time.

Caroline's shoulders dropped. As if the condition wasn't awkward enough, the phone beeped again, making the brunettes burst in to girlish giggles, "go on, check it!" "Don't back up on our account."

She whined as she unlocked her phone.

"What did he say?" They asked unbelievably simultaneously, as if they were some magical twins and this whole situation was a cheesy late night sitcom show for bored old maids to chew her popcorn to.

"_Did I upset you at class today_?" Caroline recited the text as she was asked. Knowing too well that she couldn't afford the consequence of remaining silence on this torturous court composed by Judge Bennett and Gilbert, she had already abandoned herself.

Elena drummed her fingers on the table excitedly, "He must be concerned! It's been half an hour since he sent you the last text and you haven't replied yet."

"Which was mainly postponed by the devastating interrogation I was undergoing." Caroline said sarcastically, hands ready to type her response.

"For god's sake, no!" Elena slapped on her hand immediately, suddenly turned into mode _love consultant_, "make him wonder, let him wait. You spent your whole afternoon and evening asking yourself why he act indifferent. It's your chance to have him suffer. He'll volunteer to hand you the answer you've been waiting for on a silver platter eventually."

Both Caroline and Bonnie's jaw fell at the shocking advice they just heard, "aren't you a bitchy high school boy-killer, Elena Gilbert, you heartless Don Juan."

"We better keep those booze away from her. She's her split personality when wasted."

"Oh shut up, you two!" Elena performed an eye roll and stood up, dragging the other two girls with her, "what are we doing, gossiping about men all night? Come on, it's girls' night, let's go dance!"

* * *

><p>Caroline would be lying had she said she wasn't surprised by this other side of Elena's, the drunk one. Over the years Stefan had always claimed her the optimistic control freak. "You'd fly all the way down the handle if obtaining 9 unicorns and a rainbow when actually 10 and 2 were required," was how he described her. Although never admitting, she secretly took his point and had never, ever thought that there would someday be one person, well, if Klaus not included, to beat her on said characteristic. However, it seemed that Elena was the all pushy and demanding and bossy one in certain situations.<p>

Elena had forced the two of them danced nonstop, song after song and any type of rest, either a sip of liquor or a brief toilet getaway were officially forbidden.

Caroline relied on both effort and luck to sneak back to their booth. "I should really go try out for the next _Charlie's Angel_ movie, God bless my escape talent." Unleashing her soring feet from those killing heels, she murmured to herself as she took a few peeks at the dance floor in case Elena discovered her absence.

She picked up her phone and swiped on the screen absentmindedly, a tiny flashing balloon on the screen cuing new texts.

_I know my behavior this afternoon must be confusing. Please allow me a chance to explain myself. (9:06)_

She flipped through the messages from _Henrik_ eagerly.

_Too angry to answer, sweetheart? (9:13)_

The fruity sense of revenge crossed Caroline's mind. Maybe Elena was right about making him suffer for waiting. She never intended to let him wait, not too long precisely speaking- she wasn't that kind of girl- but the knowledge that she wasn't the only one captured in this…thing, or, relationship (is it?) was reassuring. Well, at least he was eager to hear from her too. She kept on reading.

_Caroline,_ so now he was calling her Caroline. _It doesn't matter if you don't want to have this conversation for now. It's been an hour since you last responded and it's starting to worry me for this isn't what you usually do. Just send me something, even a word can do, to let me know you're safe. There are some certain areas that are dangerous in London. (9:32)_

She had to hold back a giant, threatening smile reading that concerned message._ He was worried, for her._ She might not know why she cared about this simple detail so much but it was like a firefly, warming and touching and lighting the depth of her heart. She liked it.

Noting that the last message was sent 20 minutes ago, she hurriedly sent back an_ I'm fine, just occupied_ and waited anxiously for his response, mile-long legs dangling under the booth table like an innocent girl waiting for her favorite ice cream car to come by.

Yet there was none. 5 minutes, a quarter, even 30 minutes had passed but her phone remained still and motionless.

She thought he was the one who was having a _this isn't what you usually do _complaint_._

Caroline had never experienced this. She had never been this uneasy, not for a mail. Not her ex-boyfriends, not her parents, not even her college application result notification. She was Miss Mystic Falls after all, and a girl like her should never let such trifle bother her to this extent. But now there she was, enchanted, obsessed, nervous, having no idea what to do with her hands and feet.

Then she had even swallowed up her pride and gone into serious self-debate on whether she should take action and be the one who called back or not.  
>It was that moment, when she was about to press that green phone graphic beside the name <em>Henrik<em>, that a strange number ranged her phone suddenly.

Caroline frowned as she lifted the gadget to her ear suspiciously, "hello?"

"Caroline, is that you?" The familiar voice flowed from the other side of the line.

"The one and only, Klaus. Why are you calling with this number, it's-"

"Sorry to cut you short, love, but I shall explain that to you when things aren't so urgent."

She finally sensed that unusual, fretful layer weaved in his tone, "what's wrong?"

"…Henrik's gone."

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

**Hi there! See this a-bit-longer chapter as a thank-you for I'm so so so super extremely excited to announce that ****this fic has achieved its 100****th**** review milestone**** with last chapter! I never dreamed that there would be so many of you (90-something followers? I must be dreaming!) reading my writings and reaching 100 reviews within mere 6 chapters was just beyond imagination! ****It might not seem significant to others but it means a lot to a newbie author like me****! ****Thanks to every fav, follow and review****, and a gigantic hug for those who helped pass that 100-reviews line by reviewing last chapter: lele91, maryrose16, Angelikah, LoveDeb, Mystery Girl3, goldenhummingbird, klaroline4everlove, talv1914, Chelseab95, tippy093, Ashilz, redbudrose and Guests.**

**You are all part of this amazing miracle and without your support I wouldn't be updating so frequently, so please stick with me and keep on sharing your thoughts with me in the future!**

**To answer some of the requests from last time, I'm afraid there won't be Care's history other than the brief, already told ones in this fic. From earlier chapters we already know that her parents were divorced, her mother was too busy working to pay her attention and Stefan was the one who helped her through all those hard times. For now, I don't see any possible development for more of that in the major plot that I've made up, so I'll have to say sorry to that request. But who knows? Maybe some idea will just pop into my head and I'll come up with some Forbes history (we have to be fair after all, you know, like, equal and fair?). Let's just say ****_No promises for now_**** again.**

**I know we're lacking of actual Klaroline interaction this chapter and Elena might seem a little high and OOC here, but trust me it's the alcohol to blame, she'll go back to her usual self and there will be packs of Klaroline next chapter, so stay with me and hold on tight guys!**

**I posted my first one-shot, a Klaroline one of course, on Wednesday and please go check out if you're interested. It's quite hot in my opinion.**

**Preview: The history of the Mikaelsons.**

**Thanks again, please review, and I'll see you next time!**

**-A Xx**


	8. Chapter 8 History, the cold narrator

To escape the thundering beats in the bar, Caroline rushed out to the street with her phone on one of her ears, the other covered with her hand, "what did you say? I couldn't hear you! I was in a bar, it was too loud in there."

"I was asking if you know where Henrik would go, love." This time Klaus' voice flew successfully into her ear, dressed with a hint of anxiety, "Kol- you know him, right?- couldn't find him at my mother's when he got there late-again- to pick him up-_ shut up, Kol! Unlike you, trouble-causing, someone's trying to talk here!_"

His words were cut off for a while and she could hear the far off nervous family quarrel on the other side of the line.

"We've already called the police since we couldn't find him anywhere," he resumed talking, huffing and puffing, she could almost imagine the worried knot between his brows as he dashed through lane after lane in this city in search of his beloved baby brother, "the officer suggested us to reach a friend of his for clues-"

"And you thought of me." Caroline finished the sentence for him before he did, somehow delighted secretly. Of course he'd thought of her. According to his own words, she was practically the only friend Henrik had outside his family. She was glad that he turned to her anway, and the thought that she could actually come in handy even thrilled her more, despite the emergency.

"Yes." He replied, "I know there's no way he'd be with you right now since you were enjoying the night before I interrupted, but I was just hoping… maybe Henrik happened to inform you of somewhere he wanted to go or places he was interested in."

Caroline dove deep hunting in her memories but failed to come up with any idea after a long thought- so long that Klaus even had to take a peek at the screen of his phone to check if she was still there.

"I've got no idea, sorry." She admitted with disappointment- disappointed with herself- while waving at the girls, who'd discovered her absence and followed her out the bar worriedly, to stay quiet.

"Never mind, dear. Go back to what you were doing. Have fun." Klaus concluded, ready to end the call and continue his quest for his lost sibling but was stopped by a quick _'where are you'_ question before he pressed the red phone graphic on the screen, "tell me where you are so I can help."

There was a short pause before his brain was functioning language again, "Love, you don't have to. We can handle this, my siblings and I. You should go back to dancing and having fun with your friends."

Caroline gestured to Bonnie so that she could help her fetch the purse and coat she'd left at their booth as she persuaded, "Klaus, I want to help. It's not like I'm able to go on partying all night knowing that lovely boy's still missing anyway. And just because I had no clue now doesn't mean I won't come up with something helpful later. But that would mean nothing if I'm not in the rescue squad."

After rounds of self-debate and contemplation, Klaus finally gave in, knowing this headstrong girl who'd grew on him through her persistence in class was too stubborn to stay out of something she'd already poked her nose in, "fine. We're now at my place and we're separating to go searching. I'll text you the address and once you arrived we can go out as a team."

* * *

><p>A slight taste of guilt packaged Caroline's heart when she felt the relief of being able to see Klaus again.<p>

_What's wrong with you? You've just seen him in class today and the adorable Henrik is missing! How could you feel like that under such condition?_ She scolded herself as she strode across the street. But if she was telling the truth, she would confess that she was a little too assuaged to see him making eye contact with her again. _Oh, those greyish-blue eyes._

"Ah, you're here." Klaus greeted her with a quick smile on his tensed face. Seeing him up close, she spotted his messy hair- those sand-blond curls had always been messy in a good, even sexy, way- under the faint street lamp light. The stubble that had always graced his jaw and made her longing to touch had somehow crept even wilder during the last few hours since she'd last seen him. Even his voice screamed his disquietude, "let's get going, shall we?"

She nodded and barely managed to hold the jump when she felt his warm hand steamed away the chill night air as it found its way to her blade bone. He steered her on the sidewalk at a rather keyed-up pace, "Kol has gone seeking the places we think Henrik might go and Elijah, another brother of mine, was contacting the police. We left Bekah, my sister, at ours and my eldest brother at my mother's in case he returns to either place. Now we go explore the streets near both houses."

They took a turn at the intersection as the reflection of her watch glistened under the bronze street light and marked half past ten. That was when the contentment of her reunion with the guy she'd been thinking of all day long ebbed and fret flowed in, "it's getting cooler."

"It's so dark. Henrik must be afraid now. Where can he be?" She couldn't stop her worried mumbles as she looked up at the velvet dark sky where few stars were glittering vaguely, "how did you lost him?"

It wasn't until Klaus' silence overwhelmed her again and reminded her of the torturous afternoon that she realized how rude she must had sounded, "oh my god I didn't mean to blame or pry. You don't have to answer that, I was being an idiot and it was really not my place to ask."

"No, no, it's fine. Really, that wasn't what I mean, love." He quickly squeezed a smile out, assuring. The remaining furrows between his knitted brows triggered the desire, the need in her, wanting to iron those worries away from that glorious face with her fingertips.  
>"I was just considering how to tell the story." He took a halt behind her unexpectedly, the wet brick pavement glimmering under him like the twinkling stars accentuated the glowing moon above them. He managed to crack a cackle from his tensed throat, joking, "it's not something I tell on daily basis."<p>

He then cleared his throat in the way a bard did before narrating his poetic tales, "because of some family issues, we- my siblings and I- made a deal with our parents and my eldest brother that we own Henrik's custody as long as we allow our mother to keep his company for a few hours on weekdays. Henrik goes to my mother's directly after school and Elijah, Rebekah, Kol and I take turns picking him up every evening. It was Kol's turn today and he was late, as usual. The servants at Mother's claimed they thought Henrik had left with Kol but the truth was when my stupid brother arrived he had already disappeared."

Caroline was a little paralyze by the information Klaus'd just presented her. That was definitely not usual family drama, but what she knew was too limited for her to process the full view of this enigma. She might be prying but curiosity got the better of her and since Klaus seemed to have prepared himself already, she decided to ask what she wanted to know- about him- anyway, "may I ask what family issue is that?"

He exhaled at the question and resumed moving, eyes roaming here and there seeking his precious lost family member, "that's a long and heavy story. You sure you want to know?"

Looking at the sincere smirk on his face, she knew somehow the tyrant felt safe enough to pour himself to her. Honored, she smiled back, "go on, your secrets will be safe with me."

He chuckled at her boldness, turning to face her as they walked with his fingers covering that amused grin on his lips and jaw, "well, to start with, my father, the famous Mikael Mikaelson, is actually not my father."

* * *

><p>"So when Mikael found out I was what people called <em>'a by-product of an unfaithful affair'<em> and I wasn't biologically his son, I was already 15 and had been attending social occasions as a Mikaelson quiet frequently already. There was no way he was going to kick me out of the family, that'd be a huge humiliation to the family's name. So he _tolerated_ me. _Allowed _me to keep my last name." Klaus related in an indifferent tone, as if he wasn't telling his own misfortune, as if he couldn't care less for having a tragic, dramatic adolescence. However, the truth was, Caroline could read it from his telltale behavior since they'd met, pretty much the contrary. She couldn't help but wonder if this was something she, a student who was practically an entire stranger to him just a month and a half ago, should acquire. Yet he kept on talking, like he was secretly fleeing away from some haunting beast, and the only way of escape was keeping his mind and tongue running, "he'd always been a strict father and I'd always been that black sheep in the family, unable to meet his expectations like my siblings did. He went even more furious and hated me even more when he found out, and the rage overpowered him. One day he decided one punching bag was all but enough so he targeted his wrath towards both my mother and I. He abused her, mentally and physically, by requesting a pure Mikaelson newborn to substitute for me, the bastard son."

Caroline's head snapped to his side at the bombshell he threw on her. When she was querying mere minutes ago, she was prepared for some family drama. But not this kind of drama. This was more of a gigantic scandal, a tensely plotted tragedy you usually connected William Shakespeare's name to.

"My mother was born a valetudinarian, you can imagine how the ill health did good to her mind. She became quite oversensitive and melancholy through the years. Even her doctor was surprised she could give birth to so many of us in her state when Kol was born, and that was way before Mikael's discovery." Klaus sighed, tugging on Caroline's hand to take another turn with him at the end of the lane, "Under that condition, Miakael's deeds sent her over the brink of sanity. Solid 10 years of torture, he first tried to make her pregnant by way of what he called _traditional,_ like mating boars. When the doctors announced her body had finally passed child-bearing age, he obsessively resorted to artificial insemination."

Thunderstricken, Caroline could barely hold her jaw at its rightful place listening to the reckless acts of a vengeance-blinded insane man.

_How, how did he get through those years, the dark ages he was avoiding to tell now, when his mother was caged in that living-hell and he could only be treated worse?_

"I heard women suffer from artificial insemination therapies nowadays, and it was only worse several years ago. Dose after dose of hormone injection. Joints soring here and there. Vomits. Swelling." He paused a while sorting out his own thoughts, and finally as if disgusted by his inner off-screen, he wrinkled his nose before stating, "not that I was my mother's biggest fan- and she did ruin my life in every way she could- I can see why she eventually took the easier way of self-liberation. She simply turned her sanity off after Henrik was born. It was like the baby was the suspending support she was clinging on to, and when he finally came to birth successfully, she collapsed."

"At first she couldn't bear breathing same air with me- I guess my existence itself reminded her of the derailment and the consequences she had to deal with. Then it got worse, even a single glimpse of the siblings who were close to me gave her panic shocks. We figured it would be the best if Elijah, Rebekah, Kol and I moved out by then. But we couldn't leave Henrik behind with them, not with a lunatic couple. They'd already made our lives a hell of a mess, we couldn't let them mess with Henrik's. So we made a deal with Mikael. Since being with my baby brother seemed to help Mother a little, Mikael promised he would leave us alone as long as Henrik visits them frequently, the rest you already knew. Aside from that, the only family she could stand having around besides her favorite son, my eldest brother Finn, was ironically Mikael, the man who crucified, ill-treated her. Maybe deep down in her heart she does…" His voice faded, dispersed by the cool night breeze. He couldn't bring himself to pronounce that word out loud when he didn't believe it actually existed.

Then he heard a sniff beside him.

He turned fully towards her, concern written all over his face, "are you cold, darlin- Are you…crying?"

She held her head up high, moisture in her jewelry eyes defying gravity, "no, of course I'm not."

Truth be told, she really should find a place where no one could see her and cry that story a river. She got Klaus' situation, the hurt hidden under those well covered narrations where the protagonists didn't even sound like him. She knew it too well, even when he'd grown to convince himself that he didn't care. He might be able to fool himself, but he couldn't fool the expert when it comes to how painful it was to have a pair of not-so-understanding parents, to constantly long for their attention, to always be not good enough for anyone- not even herself- to feel tired of being rejected and to finally give up hope.

But she had Stefan. He was the savior of her light, while all Klaus got was that consuming void, alone.

Such condition isn't something you can discuss with your siblings, so he was definitely on his own through those years of miseries.

That was the source of those gloomy touches, the silent grief, the screaming loneliness she'd detected in his drawings.

Oh how she wanted to speak comfort to him, to warm and patch that cold-shouldered, burnt-out fire of heart only she knew how and where it was wounded. But she knew better than that.

Now that she learned his history and it dawned on her just how similar they were in that darkest corner of their souls, she knew the alpha male in him was too proud, too stubborn to be soothed, not yet. So she was not going to cry for him, not now. Her tears could stream brooks and rivers for him when he wasn't around, then at least some one on earth cared and cried for him sincerely.

"Caroline…" His fingers found its way to her cheeks. Stroking her soft facial skin, his heart ached as his brows furrowed like pastries- he didn't felt ache-worthy when he told his story, he didn't felt like that even when he was part of it. Yet she felt it for him, instead of him. And just the thought of her doing so spiked his heart with a mixture of relief and acute pain. "It's no big deal, love. I had Henrik. He admired me of all the Mikaelsons the most, and I adore him very much in return. We had each other."

"It couldn't be the same-" Caroline protested, weirdly for him when it was he who was cutting her short, "Henrik showed me, the whole family in fact, that when people share certain blood bond, unconditional love and the concept family was possible."

He kept on rambling about the beautiful times he'd shared with Henrik as his soothing palm ran up and down her arm. In time her mind gradually settled and she'd recollected enough of composure to notice how many streets they'd checked and the fact that they didn't have a single clue about that missing little boy.

"One time he chose us a secret ground for it was one of our favorite places in London, and he said he could stay there forever if there were just the two of us…" Klaus seemed absorbed in his sweet, heart-warming memory of his brother and it was the ring of his phone that pulled him back to reality, "hello? Yes, officer, I am his brother. No, so far we haven't found him yet."

Caroline looked and listened closely as Klaus conversed and recited the officer's instructions, "no, we've looked everywhere. The places we usually take him to, the places he might want to go, both residences… we've searched them all. Yes, we've sought his favorite places…"

Originally she was, shamefully, fascinated by how his perfect lips wiggled as he talked.

_How could you still care about such trivial things now? We have a lost boy to save, and he'd just told you his miserable adolescence! But but but his lips are just so alluring they aren't trivial at all! You don't see magnificent, beautiful lips like that every day, everywhere-_

But then there were some certain words that was now and then rolling on his tongue that rang on her. She remembered, she was once told of someone's favorite place in London, too…

"I know where he is!" Caroline cried once she recalled that memory.

Klaus quickly lifted his phone, anticipation glowing in his eyes.

"He's at the statue of Peter Pan, in Hyde Park," she claimed, "he said it was your favorite place, both of you."

**AN/**

**Single or not, happy Valentine's Day guys!**

**I feel terribly sorry for having you wait for so long with that cliffhanger I left last chapter. I was fighting this bitchy writer's block on this fic and the two-parter I posted last week wasn't easy to write. I can only hope this Klaroline packed V-day present chapter makes things up.**

**How do you feel about this chapter? And the Mikaelson history? Tell me by reviewing! Just in case any of you misunderstood, Caroline isn't drunk in this chapter. She drank a little in last chapter but Elena was the only wild girl there haha. Perfectionist Miss MF is never going to let Klaus see her drunk side when they're still uncertain hehehe;-)**

**I guess we've finally reached a new stage after this chapter! Phew, believe me, the slow-burn is not only killing you. I'm suffering for it too! Sometimes it's kinda hard to proceed the storyline when the characters are bonding slowly. But what can I say? We all know the couple fell slowly for each other in the show and I'm not rushing to ruin that. I just loooooove the feeling when I read the ending of a story and find how far the couple've gone from getting to know each other little by little to dating then finally epic love. I mean, I love to see how couples grow and face problems together, and it's what draws me into certain relationships and stories. The endings are, of course, important and exciting but what matters is the process.**

**You might want to check out the 2-parter I posted last week, ****_The Ebb and Flow_****, and the fresh fic, ****_Lost_****. The latter is an experimental try where I mixed Klaroline with ****_Avatar_****.**

**Last but not the least, thanks to the reviewers: ****_chillwithJyl, Tilly-Luv, goldenhummingbird, worldwarIII, talv1914, Chelseab95, Angelikah, jessnicole, tinkerbell988, AnnaTom23, lele91, klaroline4everlove, redbudrose, tippy093, Rachel, ashilz, Mystery Girl3, MJTE, au courant _****and****_ Guests_****. I really don't know how to express the gratitude I felt when receiving reviews. What's even better is that with each update I get more reviews. Thank you thank you thank you all!**

**Preview: Klaus explains why he ignored Care in class.**

**PS. Just watched the latest episode of season6. Well, I can't say that's the best V-day present I've ever got. (It sucked!) That's why we hate the CANON, urrrrgh. But, Julie, don't you think this is a perfect timing for some blonde to just turn it off and go on a NOLA spree to search her true self or something?**


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